At least 717 people died and 863 were wounded Thursday by a stampede registered outside the Saudi city of Mecca during the Hajj pilgrimage in which millions of Muslims participate.
So said the Civil Defense of Saudi Arabia, which was unclear what caused the stampede.
He added that the victims are of various nationalities, without elaborating.
The stampede occurred 07:05 local time (5:05 GMT) in the area of Mina, located about 10 kilometers east of Mecca, when two million people were participating in the main ritual of the Hajj.
According to the Saudi Civil Defense, the death toll could rise as rescuers are still separating the mass of people and directing for alternative paths.
Third day
The tragedy happened on the third day of the pilgrimage.
The faithful were going from their camps to where they should comply with the ritual stoning of three pillars symbolizing the temptations of the devil. They had spent the night in Muzdalifah, where they prayed and collected stones should throw the Iblis, the devil tried to dissuade pillars Abraham, the patriarch of the Arab people.
But he fears Al Jazeera reported that took place between the tents of the pilgrims located at 204, and not the place where worshipers threw stones at the pillars of Jamarat.
"A group of pilgrims sat on the floor. And another group pounced on them and saw the stampede," said Basma Atassi, environmental journalist from Mina. Mina is a wide valley located about 5 kilometers from Mecca, shops and houses 160,000 pilgrims.
Three million people participate annually in the Muslim rite of the pilgrimage. The money that moves the pilgrimage to Mecca The journey that separates the valley of Mina uninhabited Mecca is done thousands of people every day, amid heavy security.
Mecca is the destination of millions of Muslims on the occasion of Hajj. In 2014, the Saudi government limited the number of pilgrims for safety reasons due to works on the Great Mosque.
