264 Indian pilgrims die during and after Haj in Saudi Arabia

Srinagar, Jan 18 (UNI) As many as 8 more Indian Haj pilgrims have died in Saudi Arabia since January 16, taking the total casualties to 264 so far, reports received here said today.

Majority of the pilgrims died of natural causes, mainly due to cardiac arrest, with a few getting killed in road accidents.

While the number of deceased pilgrims from Kerala and Uttar Pradesh was 53 each, 25 were from Karnataka, 23 from Maharashtra, 19 from Tamil Nadu, 18 from Gujarat, 14 from Andhra Pradesh, 12 from Rajasthan, 11 each from Jammu and Kashmir and Bihar, nine belonged to Madhya Pradesh, four each from West Bengal and Uttaranchal, two each from Asom, Delhi and Puducherry and one each belonged to Manipur and Haryana.

The deceased Haj pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir included Ghulam Qadir Bhat, the brother of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

However, the five-day Haj ended on January one without the deadly crowding or violent clashes which marred the pilgrimage in other years.

Last January, about 362 pilgrims were crushed to death during a stone-throwing ritual at the Jamarat Bridge in the worst Haj tragedy in 16 years. In 2004, 250 pilgrims died at the same spot.

All able-bodied Muslims are required to perform the Haj at least once in their lifetime, if they can afford it. The pilgrims retrace the steps of the Prophet Mohammad in one of the world's biggest annual mass movement of the people on the planet.

UNI