Stampede in Mecca
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (128835)
Gainesville, Florida
September 24, 2015 8:41am CST
I read the news this morning about the horrific tragedy that took place in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where over 700 people have been trampled to death, and over 800 injured, in a stampede during Hajj. Unfortunately, these types of tragedies seem to happen frequently in Mecca, where millions of Muslims from around the world make the pilgrimage to worship at one of Islam's holiest sites.
Anytime you have millions of people converging to a site that is ill-equipped to handle such a large influx of visitors, trouble is bound to happen. I'm sure the authorities in Mecca have been doing all they can to accommodate such a large mass of worshipers, but there's no doubt that local resources are strained to the maximum during these pilgrimages.
And unfortunately, this is just the latest instance of tragedy in Mecca, as recently a construction accident with a large crane also killed scores of people.
8 people like this
8 responses
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
30 Oct 16
@moffittjc I remember this actually. Just sad. I'd hate to be in that type of crowd while that's taking place. 
2 people like this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Oct 16
I hate to be in any large crowd like that. Too much can go wrong. And people become idiots when there is mass panic. All rational thought goes out the window. Any time I'm in a place with a large crowd, the first thing I do is look for the quickest and safest exits that I can use if there is an emergency.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 Oct 16
@VivaLaDani13 Sometimes, I am a pretty smart guy. Sometimes.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 15
It does seem to be a recurring theme each year during their pilgrimage. I hope they are able to figure out a way to handle such large masses of people.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 15
That is so true! And most of the time, when you read of stories like this, there was no actual cause for alarm that caused the stampede, it's usually something trivial that starts the ball rolling, and then BAM! next thing you know a major stampede breaks out and hundreds are killed. Humans as individuals can be rationalized with, but humans as a group tend to behave very irrationally.
@LadyDuck (502491)
• Italy
25 Sep 15
@moffittjc Honestly, I have no idea if they can be considered martyrs, but I think it is insane to let all those people die and to do nothing to fix the problem.
@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Sep 15
It is sad that it happens every year. I wonder if the authorities don't really try to fix the situation because those that are killed are considered martyrs? Maybe it's an honor for Muslims to die while on their holiest pilgrimage? I don't know for sure, but it just seems strange that it's a continual pattern year after year and nothing seems to change.
1 person likes this
@Salamnda (476)
• United Kingdom
24 Sep 15
thats sad news indeed , lots of lives . i am sure there is something wrong in the point that caused this , while about 3 million people attended this year , thats a huge number , and i read this was the worst since 2006 .
hope this will lead to better solutions next years
1 person likes this
@PrarieStyle (2486)
• United States
25 Sep 15
I guess that's a risk you take if you're willing to walk in circles like Zombies around a stolen black pagan stone...
@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
25 Sep 15
It was indeed very tragic. More so, that it occurred just a few days after a crane collapse, which took a heavy toll of life. Looks like the Saudi government is short on crowd management, for such a mammoth occasion.
