No Danes were among the 717 Muslims killed during a stampede in Mecca this afternoon, but at least one was injured, the Foreign Ministry has confirmed.
The news was released on the ministry’s official Twitter account, stating “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of a single Dane injured in Mina, Saudi Arabia”.
Eid celebrations turn to tragedy
Muslims around the world are celebrating the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday and marking their faith with the Hajj pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
Muslims on the Hajj pilgrimage travel to the tent city of Mina, 5km outside Mecca, to participate in the Stoning of the Devil ritual. It was at the tent city that over 863 pilgrims were injured and 717 died in the stampede, according to Al Jazeera and the Saudi civil defence directorate.
220 ambulances involved
Mina’s tent city houses pilgrims in over 160,000 tents over Hajj. The stampede took place in one of the tent city’s streets, and not at the site of the Stoning of the Devil. A Saudi civil defence spokesman said around 4,000 people and 220 ambulances were on the scene to assist in the rescue.
The Foreign Ministry has not issued more details on the injured Danish victim, nor has it ruled out that other Danish nationals have been affected.
200 Danes in Mecca
It has been reported that a spokesman for the Islamic Society in Denmark has estimated over 200 Danes travelled to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage this year.
Following contact from the media, the Foreign Ministry refused to comment any further but did state it was in contact with the individual’s family
Less than two weeks ago, a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 118 people and injuring 394.
Almost 2 million pilgrims are attending Hajj this year, which is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam.
