| Did he throw back at them? |
MECCA: Three Muslim pilgrims were killed and 500 others suffered light injuries Saturday as they jostled to perform the "stoning of the devil" ritual near Mecca, Saudi newspapers reported on Sunday. The crush was triggered by the arrival of "a large number of African pilgrims carrying their personal belongings" to the site of the stoning in Mina called the "jamarat," the daily Okaz said. The paper quoted Saudi Health Minister Hamad bin Abdullah al-Mane as saying that a number of pilgrims also fell down on the site as a result of the scramble to stone the three concrete blocks symbolizing the devil. The flow of pilgrims was interrupted for 10 minutes in order to clear the path, Okaz said. The ritual, which began on Thursday, is the ultimate but also most perilous of the annual hajj, triggering stampedes which left hundreds dead in past years, including 251 in 2004. The Saudi government spent 28 million dollars modernizing the holy site to make it easier for the faithful to throw their pebbles at the "jamarat" and on installing extra cameras to allow the heavy flow to be monitored. Okaz said two more pilgrims died and 196 others suffered fractures when they fell down during rare heavy rains which poured down on the Mecca region Saturday, partly flooding pilgrims camps in Mina and causing huge traffic jams.