News

11 die as heavy rain mars start of hajj

November 26, 2009 Edition 2

MECCA: A day-long downpour fouled the start of the annual hajj yesterday, soaking thousands of people as they walked from Mecca to Mina, snarling traffic and stranding buses for hours.

Some of the 2.5 million Muslims on the world's largest annual pilgrimage said they would skip the traditional overnight stay in Mina valley because the rain had bottled up bus transport from Mecca. Instead, they planned to stay in the holy city and travel directly to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed gave his last sermon and where pilgrims are required to recite the Qur'an and pray.

Earlier yesterday the rain had sparked worries among hajj officials over possible flooding. At least 11 people were killed by floods in the nearby port city of Jeddah, gateway to the hajj.

A sea of pilgrims from all over the world, dressed in white robes and towels, began the five-day hajj late on Tuesday and early yesterday, circling the Kaaba shrine inside Mecca's Grand Mosque.

Few people appeared concerned over the main threat to the hajj, swine flu, despite the news that four pilgrims had died from the disease before the rites officially began. - Sapa-AFP