Indonesia Criticizes Saudi Arabia for Hajj Disaster Response
On Tuesday, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, an official in Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, said Saudi officials gave full access to the victims no sooner than Monday night, September 28.
The human crush happened on September 24, when two large crowds of pilgrims were directed to move toward each other from opposite directions in Mina. Reports indicate that Saudi authorities had blocked a road to Jamarat, forcing another column of pilgrims who had completed the ritual to return via the same route.
The Indonesian official said at least 46 pilgrims from Indonesia, the Muslim world’s most populous country, died in the crush, adding that 10 were injured and 90 others remain missing.
On Monday, Lukman Hakim Saifudin, Indonesia’s religious affairs minister, said in a statement that Indonesians did not have free access to hospitals to search for the injured pilgrims.
“The Saudi Arabian government has its own regulation, tradition, culture and procedures in dealing with such cases,” Saifuddin said, adding, “This has not allowed us enough freedom in our effort to identify” the victims.
The outcry in Indonesia comes as officials in Iran criticized the Al Saud regime for it “incompetence” to handle the hajj pilgrimage rituals.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Supreme Court said it had received a citizen’s petition asking it to open an investigation into the Mina catastrophe.
Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Ministry said at least 44 Pakistani pilgrims died in the deadly incident and 35 sustained injuries.
The incident occurred just days after a crane collapse into the Grand Mosque in Mecca, which killed more than 100 people.
Source: Press TV
