Ahmedabad family loss of kin in Mina Haj stampede

Ahmedabad, Sept.26 : A family in Ahmedabad city, which was struck by the Haj tragedy, mourned the death of their loved ones and hoped for contact from the remaining missing members.At least 717 pilgrims from around the world were killed on September 24 in a crush in Mina, which is near the holy city of Mecca, in the worst disaster to strike the annual Haj pilgrimage for 25 years.At least 863 others were injured. Saudi King Salman said he had ordered a review of Haj plans after the disaster, in which two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads in Mina, a few kilometers east of Mecca, on their way to performing the “stoning of the devil” ritual at Jamarat.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup has confirmed the death of 18 nationals, while 13 others have been admitted to hospitals in Saudi Arabia.In Ahmedabad, relatives of Johra Nagori and Ruksana Nagori sat grieving the women’s deaths as many came to their house to console them.Seven members of the Nagori family had undertaken the Haj pilgrimage, of which two were still alive. Johra’s nephew Shamim said they were still waiting for the news of the missing three.”Yesterday our uncle (Johra’s husband) called us at around noon saying that my aunts (including his own wife) had died in the Haj stampede. There was no help to be found nearby. They found help after five hours. They were rushed to Mina by government help and put on treatment but they were later declared dead,” he said on Friday.