Rescuers at the site of a stampede that killed and injured pilgrims in the holy city of Mina during the annual Haj pilgrimage. (AP Photo)
For many Muslim families, the occasion of Eid al-Adha was a day of grief rather than celebrations. The stampede in Mina, outside the holy city of Mecca, two days ago, claimed the lives of more than 700 including 18 Indians on annual Haj pilgrimage.
Of the Indians who died in the incident, nine were from Gujarat. Wasim in Ahmedabad lost his 70-year-old aunt from Ranchi, while another member of his family is still missing.
Gulabo Begam, 75, bound to a wheelchair, was in prayers when the incident took place, says the Izaaudinn family.
"She started feeling suffocated because she had high blood pressure," said a member of her family. Ms Begum did not survive.
Three other Indian pilgrims killed were from Tamil Nadu. 64-year-old Mohideen Pitchai, a retired government official from Tenkasi and two others Samsuddin from Nagappatinam from Trichy.
Renigen, another person from Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli, also died in the tragedy.
A relative of Renigen, Khader Moimuddin, said, "We don't bring back the bodies of those who die at Mecca.
Every year, millions of people from around the world visit Mecca on Haj pilgrimage. The tragedy is the worst in 25 years at the annual Muslim pilgrimage. In 2006, 364 pilgrims were killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina, among them 51 Indians.