JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – The Ministry of the Religious Affairs revealed that 41 Indonesian pilgrims have lost their lives after a stampede in Mina during the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
According to Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, 10 other Indonesian pilgrims got injured in the tragedy and currently are taking medical treatment in local hospital in Saudi. 82 other Indonesian pilgrims, meanwhile, are still missing.
Lukman said that the Indonesian government has asked the local authority in Saudi to give more access to the Indonesian medical & forensic team to identify the death victims. Lukman said the access is necessary to accelerate the identification process of victims from Indonesia.
The local authority in Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has so far released a total 1,107 pictures of death victims killed in Mina stampede. The local authority earlier stated that they will launch investigation into the tragedy.
But other countries urged Saudi Arabia to involving them in a joint investigation team. (haryantosuharman@yosefardi.com)