Death toll in Mecca stampede rises to 717    

Saudi authorities said the total number of pilgrims killed in the stampede Thursday in Mecca has risen to 717.

Health workers help the injured in Mina, near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 24, 2015. Saudi authorities said the total number of pilgrims killed in the stampede Thursday in Mecca has risen to 717.

Three Nepali Muslim pilgrims killed in Mecca stampede

Nepali authorities confirmed on Friday that three Nepali nationals were killed and another was injured in the stampede in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Nepal's Acting Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ananda Sharma told Xinhua over the phone that the three Nepali nationals killed in the incident have been identified as Jakir Hussain, Izahar Miya and Sule Mania.

A spokesman at Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that one thousand Nepali Muslim pilgrims left for Saudi Arabia in between Sept. 8 to 15.

In a condolence message to Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Thursday, Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the stampede.

The stampede outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca has left more than 700 Muslim pilgrims from various countries dead and some 800 injured.

This was the second major incident involving massive casualties this month in Saudi Arabia. Early September, 111 pilgrims were killed and 331 others injured in a crane crash in the grand mosque of Mecca.

4 Indians among pilgrims killed in stampede outside Mecca

At least four Indians were killed in Thursday's stampede at Mina outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Indian media reported Friday.

Several Indians pilgrims also sustained injuries in the incident which left more than 700 pilgrims dead and hundreds others hurt.

"Our Embassy officials have reported that the process of identification of bodies is on. This will take at least 24 hours," Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has tweeted.

Some 100,000 Indians are currently in Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca this year.

This is the second major disaster at Mecca this month after over 100 people, including a few Indians, were killed on Sept. 12, when a construction crane crashed on the Grand Mosque.

Source: Xinhuanet