1990 Mecca tunnel tragedy

On 3 July 1990, 1,426 people were suffocated and trampled to death in a crowd crush or stampede event in a tunnel near Mecca during the Hajj.^[1]

1990 Mecca tunnel tragedy

Tunnel where the crush took place
Date	3 July 1990 (1990-07-03)
Location	Mina, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Deaths	1,426

Event

The incident occurred inside a 550-meter-long (1,800 ft) and 10-meter-wide (33 ft) pedestrian tunnel (tunnel Al-Ma'aisim) leading out from Mecca towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat. The tunnel had been worked on as part of a $15 billion project around Mecca's holy sites started two years earlier by the Saudi government.^[2]

While pilgrims were traveling to perform the ritual Stoning of the Devil at 10:00 a.m.^[3] the disaster started when a pedestrian bridge railing was bent, causing seven people to fall off a bridge and onto people exiting the tunnel.^[4] The tunnel's capacity of 1,000 soon filled with as many as 5,000 people.^[5] With outside temperatures of 44 °C (111 °F), a failure of the tunnel's ventilation system was also blamed for many of the deaths.^[6] Some witnesses claimed they believed a demonstration was occurring; others reported that the power to the tunnel was deactivated.^[7] Saudi officials concluded that crowd hysteria occurring from the falling pilgrims was the cause.^[8]

Many who died were of Malaysian,^[9] Indonesian and Pakistani origin.^[10][11][12] According to one Malaysian account, 80 percent of the deaths occurred outside the tunnel, and 20 percent (about 285) inside.^[13] Among the victims was Âmil Çelebioğlu, a professor of Turkish literature and language.^[14]

Reactions

Immediately after the event, King Fahd stated that the event was "God's will, which is above everything", adding that "had they not died there, they would have died elsewhere and at the same predestined moment".^[15] About 680 of those who died were Indonesians, and Indonesian officials criticized the Saudi government, saying it "cannot run from the responsibility for the tunnel disaster simply saying it was an act of God".^[16] Iran also expressed concerns after the incident,^[17] and Turkey issued a brief complaint. Calls for an international investigation were rejected by the Saudis.^[8][16]

References

1. (24 Sep 2015). More than 700 pilgrims die in crush in worst haj disaster for 25 years Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Reuters
2. (5 July 1990). Pilgrimage Ends; Iran rips Saudis Archived 2015-09-25 at the Wayback Machine, Eugene Register-Guard (Associated Press)
3. (16 July 1990). Saudi Arabia A Tragic Ascension to Paradise Archived 2015-10-07 at the Wayback Machine, Time (magazine) (subscription required)
4. (4 July 1990). Witnesses describe stampede that killed 1,400 pilgrims in Mecca Archived 2015-09-25 at the Wayback Machine, Bangor Daily News (Associated Press)
5. Mahmoud, Aly (5 July 1990). `Stoning The Devil' Began Mecca's Tunnel Tragedy, Seattle Times (Associated Press)
6. (6 July 1990). Horror revisted Archived 2015-09-25 at the Wayback Machine, Gainesville Sun
7. (10 July 1990). Filipino Pilgrims Among Victims of Mecca Tunnel Tragedy Archived 2015-09-25 at the Wayback Machine, UCA News
8. Middle East Contemporary Survey: 1990, Volume 14; Volume 1990 Archived 2016-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, p. 190
9. (19 July 1990). Saudis yet to accept our offer of experts Archived 2016-05-20 at the Wayback Machine, New Straits Times (93 Malaysians confirmed dead by 19 July 1990. Final number grew)
10. "True Islam". Quran-Islam.org. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
11. "A history of Hajj tragedies | World news". London: theguardian.com. January 13, 2006. Archived from the original on 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
12. (3 July 1990). 1,000 Muslims Reportedly Killed In Stampede at Mecca Pilgrimage Archived 2016-11-07 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times (Associated Press)
13. (18 July 1990). Tunnel tragedy death toll may reach 155, says Yusof Archived 2016-05-02 at the Wayback Machine, New Straits Times
14. Öztoprak, Nihat. "Hayrânî (Âmil Çelebioğlu)'nin Hafiflemeleri".
15. (3 July 1990). Stampede kill 1,400 Archived 2015-09-25 at the Wayback Machine, Rome News-Tribune
16. Ibrahim, Youssef M. (19 July 1990). Saudis Criticized Over Mecca Tunnel Disaster Archived 2017-07-30 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times
17. (15 July 1990). Iran says Saudis killed pilgrims Archived 2015-09-25 at the Wayback Machine Reading Eagle (Reuters)