Haj stampede death toll risen to 1,090

New Delhi: Indian relatives took to the social media on Sunday, seeking information of loved ones who left home to perform Haj in Mecca but remain untraced after the terrible stampede of September 24.

The buzz on the “hajmission” page of Facebook and on individual pages became heavy after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj herself flashed the official Facebook link on Haj on her Twitter account, where she revealed that the latest number of the dead Indian pilgrims in this year's tragedy has risen to 35. In the meanwhile, the Saudi authorities have released photographs of 1,090 pilgrims who perished in the stampede.

As the Saudi authorities posted photographs of 1,090



pilgrims informing the world of the enormity of the tragedy, the early apprehensions about the vast magnitude of this incident have been confirmed. Initially the number of the dead from the stampede was pegged at 717. Experts and diplomats with experience at handling Indian participation of Haj pilgrimage are suggesting that perhaps the stampede of September 24 is Haj's second biggest killer-stampede after the stampede of 1990 which claimed more than 1,400 lives.

However, diplomats are suggesting that the Indian death toll in this year's tragedy is relatively low in comparison to other countries as India has been carrying out intense safety drills in Mecca to direct the Indian pilgrims efficiently.