717 people were killed and 800 others injured in a stampede on Thursday during the Hajj at Mina, near the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Here are some facts about Mina:
- Mina, which is located between Mount Arafat and Mecca's Grand Mosque is best known for the role it plays during the Hajj Pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
- It is at the Jamarat Bridge in Mina, where ritual of the Stoning of the Devil is performed between sunrise and sunset on the last day of Hajj.
- It is popularly known as the city of tents, because the Saudi government has installed more than 100,000 air-conditioned tents to provide temporary accommodation to visiting pilgrims (some 3 million) who take part in the Hajj. Each camp is equipped with a kitchen, bathrooms, and bathing facilities.
- Men and women at Mina are not allowed to sleep together
- In 2006, 364 pilgrims died during a stampede during the stoning of the devil at Mina.
LIVE updates: Death toll at Mecca stampede jumps to 717, two Indians reportedly injured
