Indian toll in Haj stampede rises to 48

With 203 of 363 people killed in Thursday's stampede during Haj in Mina near Mecca having been identified on Saturday, Indians accounted for the highest number of 48 dead in the tragedy.

As the identification process continued, authorities did not rule out the number of dead Indians going up.

The path to faith

At least seven pilgrims remained missing and efforts were on to trace them, Indian Consul General Ausaf Sayeed told PTI over phone from Mecca. The Indian Consulate also began the process of burying the dead, with the last rites of four performed, he said, adding the Mission had issued 25 No-Objection Certificates needed for the burial.

Of the 48 dead, including those of 27 women, 22 belonged to Uttar Pradesh, five each from Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, four from Maharashtra, three from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, two from Rajasthan and one each from West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, he said. Those dead included three couples from Uttar Pradesh and one from Kerala.