It is unfortunate that in the course of a fortnight two tragedies had struck Makkah Mukarma. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the dead. The death toll in the stampede has since risen to 769 and we pray that Allah may accept them in Heaven. To the injured we wish early recovery. 

According to latest reports, the Bangladesh Embassy has started ascertaining the total number of dead and injured. Those who have died should have their families informed and have the bodies sent home at the earliest if the families so wish. As for the injured, we expect the Saudi government to spare no effort to provide them with the best treatment possible. There should not be any sort of discrimination or lapse in this regard.

We acknowledge that organising the Hajj, which is performed by more than two million hajjis every year, is a logistical nightmare and the Saudi authorities have been doing a commendable job. However, as the incident shows, there are several areas that need to be addressed more critically. Crowd management efforts must be further enhanced and the number of personnel devoted to this task increased. During the Hajj period the possibility of special air surveillance and crowd monitoring by drones should be looked into.