Bodies of Iranian Pilgrims Killed in Mina Repatriated
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bodies of the Iranian Hajj pilgrims who died in a September 24 crush of people in Saudi Arabia’s Mina were transferred to Tehran on Saturday.
The coffins of 104 Iranian pilgrims arrived draped in the Iranian flags at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport on Saturday morning.
A total of 464 Iranians lost their lives in the deadliest Hajj disaster in Mina, near Mecca, when performing religious rites.
Thousands of people, including ranking officials, gathered at the airport as the coffins were carried from the aircraft.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, the Supreme Leader’s Chief of Staff Hojatoleslam Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, the cabinet members and other senior authorities attended the ceremony to pay tribute as the bodies returned home.
Meanwhile, ceremonies will be held in Tehran and other cities on Sunday to commemorate the dead.
The return of the bodies from Saudi Arabia came a few days after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei sent a clear message to the Saudi government.
Addressing a military ceremony on Wednesday, Imam Khamenei warned Riyadh that the slightest disrespect for the Iranian pilgrims or its failure to repatriate the bodies of victims will draw Iran’s “severe and tough reaction".
The Islamic Republic of Iran has had respect for fraternity in the Islamic world up to now, showing self-restraint and Islamic politeness, Imam Khamenei noted.
Saudi ruler have come under heavy fire for their incompetence in handling the annual Hajj pilgrimage. This year’s tragic incident in Mina claimed nearly 4,700 lives, ten percent of whom were from Iran.