At least 769 hajj pilgrims at were killed and hundreds wounded in a stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia, on September 24, 2015. Photo: AFP
More Indonesians have been confirmed dead in last Thursday’s Hajj pilgrimage stampede tragedy in Mina, Saudi Arabia as more victims are identified.
The Indonesian death toll currently stands at 57, up 16 from the previous count.
But that number may still rise, as there are still five groups of bodies that haven’t been identified yet.
“At the moment there are still five containers [containing the bodies of the victims] that haven’t been checked. Four of them were taken to Jeddah (in Saudi Arabia),” said head of the Indonesian Hajj Organizing Committee Arsyad Hidayat, as quoted by Metro TV today.
Some of the latest victims were identified using their fingerprints as their bodies had already begun deteriorating.
Meanwhile, 78 Indonesian pilgrims still haven’t returned to their camps and have been reported missing.
The Saudi government claim the official total death toll from the tragedy is 769, but some believe the actual death toll to be over 1,000. More than 900 people were also injured in the stampede.
