Horror at the Hajj

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At least 700 people are crushed to death and hundreds injured in stampede during Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca

Rescue under way after stampede in Mina where two million pilgrims were taking part in the last major rite of Hajj.

Massive crowds gather in Mecca every year with Islam requiring all Muslims to perform Hajj once in their lifetime.

Saudi officials use 100,000 police and large numbers of stewards to ensure safety and help those who lose their way.

Comes weeks after crane toppled into the Grand Mosque killing more than 100 people and injuring hundreds more.

Saudi medics stand near bodies of Hajj pilgrims at the site where hundreds were killed in a stampede in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca.

Rescue workers in orange and yellow vests comb the area, placing victims on stretchers and desperately trying to resuscitate others.

Pilgrims gather around victims of a stampede which has killed hundreds of Muslims during the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

The stampede occurred in a morning surge of pilgrims as the faithful were making their way toward a large structure overlooking the columns.

Saudi emergency personnel stand near bodies of Hajj pilgrims at the site where at least 717 were killed and hundreds wounded in a stampede.

Survivors assess the scene from the top of roadside stalls near white tents as rescue workers in orange and yellow vests comb the area.

Bodies of hundreds of dead and injured pilgrims lie strewn across the floor after they were caught up in a horrific stampede in Saudi Arabia.

Emergency service workers attend to victims crushed in the stampede in Mina, Saudi Arabia, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage on Thursday.

Saudi emergency personnel and Hajj pilgrims push a wounded person in a wheelchair at the site where hundreds were killed in a stampede.

Iran said at least 43 of its citizens were dead and accused Saudi Arabia of safety errors that caused the accident.

A Sudanese pilgrim in Mina said this year's Hajj was the most poorly organized of four he had attended, with people 'tripping over each other'.

Rescue workers treat a pilgrim after hundreds of people were crushed to death and hundreds hurt in a stampede in Saudi Arabia.

A medic performs CPR on a Muslim after a stampede killed and injured hundreds of pilgrims in the holy city of Mina during the Hajj pilgrimage.

Pictures and video revealed a horrific scene, with scores of bodies – the men dressed in the simple terry cloth garments worn during Hajj – lying amid crushed wheelchairs and water bottles along a sun-baked street.

The stampede began at around 9am (6am GMT) shortly after the civil defense service said on Twitter it was dealing with a 'crowding' incident.

Nearly two million Muslims make their way to cast stones at a pillar symbolising the stoning of Satan in a ritual called Jamarat.

The tragedy happened as pilgrims converged on Mina just outside Mecca to throw pebbles (above) at one of three walls representing Satan, the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' that marks the last day of the event.

The faithful had gathered until dawn on Thursday at nearby Muzdalifah where they chose their pebbles and stored them in empty water bottles.

A view of the camp city at Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, where hundreds were killed in the stampede.

Tens of thousands of Muslims defied the scorching sun to perform prayers in Arafat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage yesterday.

Water vapor sprays down from metal pipes to cool the crowds of tens of thousands of Muslims during their day of prayers at Arafat yesterday.

They walked from dawn in massive crowds towards the slippery, rocky hill which is also known as Mount Mercy.

Many of the faithful from around the globe camped at the foot of Mount Arafat where they slept and prayed despite the scorching sun at the spot where Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his final sermon.

Huge numbers were up and about before first light ahead of a day of prayer on the Plain of Arafat - nine miles from Mecca.

A wagon filled with fruit is stationed in the middle of a huge crowd of pilgrims as they worship at the foot of Mount Arafat.

Each year huge crowds are drawn to Mecca to carry out a series of rituals and prayers aimed at erasing past sins.

During the Hajj, pilgrims shed symbols of worldly materialism, entering a state known as 'ihram' - women forgo makeup and perfume for loose fitted clothing and a head-covering while men wear seamless terry cloth garments.

In Mecca, they circle the Kaaba counterclockwise seven times, and also re-enact the path of Hagar, the wife of the patriarch Abraham, who Muslims believe ran between two hills searching for water for her dying young son.

Muslim pilgrims pray while touching the Kaaba. Saudi authorities deploy 100,000 police and vast numbers of stewards to ensure safety and help those who lose their way.