Tehran: President Hassan Rouhani will fly home early from New York to attend a repatriation ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday for Iranian pilgrims killed in the stampede at the Haj, his office said.
Rouhani is to head home straight after his address to the UN General Assembly later on Monday, the Iranian mission at the United Nations said.
A total of 169 Iranians are now known to have died in Thursday's stampede in Mina, outside Mecca, and the bodies of 130 of them will be flown home on Tuesday, state media reported.
Iran has been deeply critical of Saudi Arabia over the tragedy. It accuses its regional rival of serious safety lapses and of failing to provide the proper cooperation in the search for the missing or the repatriation of the dead and injured.
Iran's hajj organising committee said that 298 Iranian pilgrims remained unaccounted for on Monday, while 46 were receiving treatment in either Iran or Saudi Arabia.
A total of 769 pilgrims were killed in the worst tragedy to hit the Haj in a quarter-century.
The nationalities of many of them have yet to be confirmed but Iranians make up the single largest national group among those that have.
A special section has been set aside in Tehran's largest cemetery for the graves of the "Mina martyrs," city council spokesman Reza Taqipour told state television.
Rouhani is to head home straight after his address to the UN General Assembly later on Monday, the Iranian mission at the United Nations said.
A total of 169 Iranians are now known to have died in Thursday's stampede in Mina, outside Mecca, and the bodies of 130 of them will be flown home on Tuesday, state media reported.
Iran's hajj organising committee said that 298 Iranian pilgrims remained unaccounted for on Monday, while 46 were receiving treatment in either Iran or Saudi Arabia.
Advertisement
The nationalities of many of them have yet to be confirmed but Iranians make up the single largest national group among those that have.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Iran President Visits Iraq On First Foreign Trip Amid Political Turmoil Jacqueliene Fernandez Enjoyed Her Birthday At This Luxury Resort That Costs Rs 4 Lakh Per Night "I'm Ashamed...": Iran President's Deputy Quits Days After Assuming Charge 8 Dead, 2,750 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel 'Pager Bombs' Target Hezbollah In Lebanon. What We Know So Far - 5 Points IndiGo Flight Tailstrike Leaves Huge Dent During Take-Off From Delhi Airport Windfall Tax On Crude Petroleum Cut To Zero 25 Children Killed After Bus Carrying Religious Pilgrim Crashes In Nigeria University Of Queensland, IIT Delhi Round 2 Admission Process Begins Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.