On 3 July 1990, 1,426 people were suffocated and trampled to death in a tunnel near Mecca during the Hajj.(24 Sep 2015)
More than 700 pilgrims die in crush in worst haj disaster for 25 years
, ''Reuters''

Event

The incident occurred inside a 550-meter-long (1800 feet) and 10-meter-wide (35 feet) pedestrian tunnel (tunnel Al-Ma'aisim) leading out from

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat. The tunnel had been worked on as part of a $15 billion project around Mecca's holy sites started two years earlier by the Saudi government.(5 July 1990)
Pilgrimage Ends; Iran rips Saudis
, ''Eugene Register-Guard'' (Associated Press) While pilgrims were traveling to perform the ritual

Stoning of the Devil The Stoning of the Devil ( ar, رمي الجمرات , " throwing of the ' lace of pebbles) is part of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. During the ritual, Muslim pilgrims throw pebbles at three walls ( ...

at 10:00 a.m.(16 July 1990)
Saudi Arabia A Tragic Ascension to Paradise
, ''

Time (magazine) ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

'' (subscription required) the disaster started when a pedestrian bridge railing was bent, causing seven people to fall off a bridge and onto people exiting the tunnel.(4 July 1990)
Witnesses describe stampede that killed 1,400 pilgrims in Mecca
, ''Bangor Daily News'' (Associated Press) The tunnel's capacity of 1,000 soon filled with as many as 5,000 people.Mahmoud, Aly (5 July 1990)
`Stoning The Devil' Began Mecca's Tunnel Tragedy
, ''Seattle Times'' (Associated Press) With outside temperatures of 44 °C / 112 °F, a failure of the tunnel's ventilation system was also blamed for many of the deaths.(6 July 1990)
Horror revisted
, ''Gainesville Sun'' Some witnesses claimed they believed a demonstration was occurring; others reported that the power to the tunnel was deactivated.(10 July 1990)
FILIPINO PILGRIMS AMONG VICTIMS OF MECCA TUNNEL TRAGEDY
, '' UCA News'' Saudi officials concluded that crowd hysteria occurring from the falling pilgrims was the cause.Middle East Contemporary Survey: 1990, Volume 14; Volume 1990
, p. 190 Many who died were of Malaysian,(19 July 1990)
Saudis yet to accept our offer of experts
, '' New Straits Times'' (93 Malaysians confirmed dead by 19 July 1990. Final number grew) Indonesian and Pakistani origin.(3 July 1990)
1,000 Muslims Reportedly Killed In Stampede at Mecca Pilgrimage
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' (

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

) According to one Malaysian account, 80 percent of the deaths occurred outside the tunnel, and 20 percent (about 285) were inside.(18 July 1990)
Tunnel tragedy death toll may reach 155, says Yusof
, '' New Straits Times''

Reactions

Immediately after the event,

King Fahd Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Fahd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', ; 1920, 1921 or 1923 – 1 August 2005) was a Saudi Arabian politician who was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia fro ...

stated that the event was "God's will, which is above everything", adding that "had they not died there, they would have died elsewhere and at the same predestined moment".(3 July 1990)
Stampede kill 1,400
, ''Rome News-Tribune'' About 680 of those who died were Indonesians, and Indonesian officials criticized the Saudi government, saying it "cannot run from the responsibility for the tunnel disaster simply saying it was an act of God".Ibrahim, Youssef M. (19 July 1990)

, ''

'' Iran also expressed concerns after the incident,(15 July 1990)
Iran says Saudis killed pilgrims
''Reading Eagle'' (Reuters) and Turkey issued a brief complaint. Calls for an international investigation were rejected by the Saudis.

References

{{coord missing, Saudi Arabia 1990 in Saudi Arabia 20th century in Mecca Disasters in religious buildings and structures Incidents during the Hajj Human stampedes in 1990 Hajj Stampede Human stampedes in Saudi Arabia 1990 disasters in Saudi Arabia