Three Lankan Muslim devotees killed; five injured, in Mecca stampede
[07 Mar 2001]

Three Sri Lankan devotees were among the 35 Muslim pilgrims killed on Monday, in a stampede in the holy city of Mecca, the birthplace of prophet Mohamed. They were on their annual Haj pilgrimage.

The incident took place as pilgrims made their way to a ritual in Jamarat in which they symbolically stone the devil.

The two Sri Lankans, a male and a female, crushed to death during the stampede were buried along with the bodies of the others on Monday. The body of the third person has not been identified yet. 

The Sri Lankans killed and injured were residents of Akurana in the central hills of Sri Lanka. 

Six thousand four hundred Sri Lankan Muslims went to Mecca this year with the Minister of Internal and International Trade and Muslim Affairs Rauf Hakeem as their leader. 

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