Haj stampede: UAE reassured about well-being of pilgrims

Abu Dhabi - 'UAE pilgrims are safe and camps are far away from today's stampede'

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, in a telephone call to the UAE official Haj mission today, enquired about the well-being of the UAE's pilgrims following the stampede which took place in Mina this morning.
Dr. Mohammed Matar Al Kaabi, Chairman of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, and head of the UAE official Haj mission, said Shaikh Mohammed was very keen to follow the impact of the tragic accident and be assured about the safety and well-being of the UAE's pilgrims, national news agency Wam reported today.
During the telephone conversation, Al Kaabi added that Shaikh Mohammed prayed for the safety of all UAE's pilgrims, wishing them success in performing the rest of the Haj rituals.
He said Shaikh Mohammed had instructed the mission to provide all services and facilities to the pilgrims so as to allow them to complete the rituals. He prayed to Allah Almighty to bestow His mercy on the victims of the stampede, in Paradise, and wished speedy recovery to those wounded.
'UAE pilgrims are safe and camps are far away from today's stampede'
The UAE pilgrims are all well and the camps for them are also safe and located far away from the site of the stampede that took place in the tent city of Mina this morning, a senior UAE official emphasised today.
Dr. Mohammed Mattar Al Kaabi, Chairman of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, and head of the UAE Haj mission, said told Emirates News Agency (WAM) following a meeting with heads of the mission's committees that camps for the UAE's pilgrims were fully ready to receive them after performing the Efada circumambulation.
The death toll from a stampede during the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on Thursday has risen to 717 people of various nationalities, the Saudi civil defence said.

• Saudi Arabia