Iranian President Offers Condolences over Hajj Stampede in Saudi Arabia

In a message issued upon his arrival in New York, President Rouhani expressed condolences to the bereaved families of victims, and asked First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri to establish a task force on the tragic incident as soon as possible.

He further urged the task force to dispatch relief and rescue teams and airplanes to Saudi Arabia if necessary and put top on the agenda pursuing the affairs of the Iranian Hajj pilgrims, the injured people in particular and the transfer of the deceased pilgrims to the country.

The Iranian president further called on the Saudi government "to accept responsibility for the death of hundreds of Hajj pilgrims in the kingdom and fulfill its legal and Islamic obligations in this regard."

According to media reports, at least 1300 pilgrims, including at least 131 Iranians, were killed Thursday in the stampede outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, the worst disaster to strike the annual Hajj pilgrimage in 25 years.

Photographs published on the Twitter feed of the Saudi civil defense Thursday showed pilgrims lying on stretchers while emergency workers in high-visibility jackets lifted them into an ambulance.

The Hajj, the world’s largest annual gathering of people, has been the scene of numerous deadly stampedes, fires and riots in the past.

Safety during Hajj is a politically sensitive issue for the kingdom’s ruling Al Saud dynasty, which presents itself internationally as the custodian of its holiest places in Mecca and Medina.