UN chief ‘deeply saddened’ at deaths in wake of stampede at Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep sadness to learn of the death of more than 700 Hajj pilgrims, as well as of injuries to many others caused by a deadly incident in Mina Valley, near Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.

“This tragic incident is all the more distressing as it took place on the first day of the Holy Eid Al-Adha marking the end of the annual Hajj season, said the UN chief in a statement released by his spokesperson in New York.

In the statement, the Secretary-General extends his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and expresses his sympathies to all the Governments concerned.