Posted on 10/04/2015 9:22:15 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
There's strange news coming — and being redacted — from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Heath about the death toll of Saturday's Hajj stampede in Mina.
As the baffling fatality numbers have shown, this is the worst disaster to strike Hajj since 1990. But just how large those numbers are is a debate still raging days after the accident.
The ministry's Arabic website said Tuesday some 4,000 people died in the crush. The announcement's since been wiped from the page, but not before people (including Al Bawaba) managed to capture a screen shot. See it below.
Here's the translation:
The Saudi Deputy Minister of Health Mohamed Aldowale stated that the ministry handed over a photo album with photos of 4,173 pilgrims who passed away in Mena accident, and the process of Identifying the bodies has started.
He also added that the big number of death was due to heat, suffocation and stampede, according to the report by the Minister of Health.
The primary statistics indicated 769 deaths however our final numbers have increased to 4173 deaths after the ministry received several more bodies yesterday.
Despite all the rumors and news in the media, the ministry would like to reconfirm that this site and its social media handles are the only reliable and formal sources for official statements.
With the official death count tallied by the Saudi government so far floating around 800, that's a miles-long discrepancy not lost on social media users. Here's what one said to Vice Minister of Heath Hamad al-Dhewalia's Twitter handle, with a screenshot of the ministry announcement attached.
(TWEET-AT-LINK)
Translation: Hamad al-Dhewalia, is this from the ministry website? The statement is attributed to you, and the site looks like the ministry's official one. and the site looks as the formal one.
Between this and US's foggy statements on the Syrian rebel train-and-equip program, what's going on with government pages this week?
Did the Saudi’s play cockroach exterminator for a day?
As long as it’s not happening in their corner they’re content to sponsor terrorism around the world.
They were mostly black and were scooped up with a front loader and covered up in a big pit.
Don’t worry, we will just breed more!!
I’m guessing the real number is more than 800.
It wasn’t an accident, it was a man-caused disaster.
The primary cause was Islam.
It’s Mohamhead’s fault.
The muzzie Rapture?
Albawaba? Didn’t Kid Rock sing a song called that?
I guess they got trampled into a liquid goo that soaked into the desert sand
4,173 pilgrims or potential terrorist?
That’s almost 300,000 virgins needed ASAP.
That’s 4000 that have been slowly coming across the Mexico border.
At least they will have clean background checks, i.e. deceased status wipes their rap sheets clean !
They should have a Hajj every week.
“They should have a Hajj every week.”
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4
Ding ding ding! Post of the Day !!!
That 4000+ dead in the stampede is probably true. This is a BFD.
Iran is pissed and this just adds a lot of fuel to the fire. Many Iranian VIP’s were killed.
I retract my suggestion that this annual stampede’s kill count should be made into a betting pool game. Obviously they are cooking the numbers and that ruins its game value.
That does NOT eliminate its entertainment value however, as it would still make a splendid South Park episode.
It was Allah’s will.
It’s kinda strange that early reports said 300 dead, then 450, then 717, all in rapid succession (matter of hours) ... then it suddenly stopped at that number, even though the rescue hadn’t even finished by then ...
4,000? Well, that’s one for every person killed in the Twin Towers and the train and bus bombings in Spain and London. God is just.
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