Defending its organisation of this year's Haj, Saudi Arabia has said a deadly stampede which killed 251 Muslims may have been avoided if pilgrims had behaved calmly and not trampled over each other to perform rituals.
The pilgrims were crushed to death on Sunday at the climax of the haj as hundreds of thousands of faithful in Mena surged to stone pillars representing the devil, a ritual that has in the past witnessed similar incidents.
"I saw people jump over those who fell, while others stood on top of them to throw stones. We had hoped that our brotherly pilgrims would behave calmly and respect those that fell dead or fainted, rather than step on them," said Interior Minister Prince Nayef, who heads the country's supreme haj committee.
"What happened was the will of God and we do not want to blame pilgrims, but really we hope haj authorities in Muslim states instruct pilgrims to act serenely to prevent any harm to them and others," he said in remarks carried today by the state news agency SPA.
The victims of the crush were mainly from Indonesia, Pakistan and other Asian nations. Authorities tried to avert tragedy by urging the two million pilgrims to stone pillars at different times. Muslims believe the pillars mark the spot where the devil appeared to Abraham.
Prince Nayef, speaking late on Tuesday at the end of the five-day pilgrimage, said haj arrangements had been followed to the letter. "In terms of these objective standards we say that haj this year was safe and free of contagious diseases."
The crush prompted Riyadh to form a high-level committee to plan a new layout for movement through holy sites. Clerics are set to meet on Thursday to discuss how to avoid such disasters.
There have been deadly stampedes many times during the haj and 14 pilgrims died in a similar crush last year. In 1990, 1,426 pilgrims were trampled to death in a pedestrian tunnel at Mecca.
This year's haj passed without any security incidents despite fears of possible attacks by Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group, held responsible for a series of suicide bombings in the kingdom.
"There were no security breaches or sabotage operations," Prince Nayef said.
Saudi Arabia is battling Islamic militants bent on undermining the ruling family. Saudi rulers, whose authority largely stems from their custodianship of holy Muslim sites, wrapped up the haj by urging Muslims to fight terror.