Hajj Stampede: Cameroon Dead Toll Rises to Over 40

The number of Cameroonian pilgrims who died in the stampede during the Hajj last Thursday in Mina, stands at 42, according to a report issued Wednesday by the General Consul in Jeddah, Issa Oumarou and quoted by the state-owned daily paper Cameroon Tribune.

“The death toll has risen in a dramatic manner,” the diplomat said in a phone interview with the paper, adding that 55 other pilgrims are currently unaccounted for while one of them is detained in a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Oumarou Issa also said that searches were underway on the ground to find possible survivors while crisis meetings are held every evening to take stock of the situation.y

In a late Friday statement the minister of Territorial Administration and Chairman of the National Commission of Hajj, Rene Emmanuel Sadi declared 21 the number of Cameroonian pilgrims killed in the incident.

The Cameroonian government has also assured that further details will be released later by the Communication minister. Some 4,500 Cameroonians performed the Hajj in Mecca as one of the five pillars of Islam.

 Signature : APA

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