(VOVworld) – France’s AFP said at least 1,530 people were killed in a stampede near the Mecca Holy Site in Saudi Arabia, the worst disaster in the history of the Muslim pilgrimage known as the Haji.

Muslim pilgrims arrive to throw pebbles at pillars during the "Jamarat" ritual, the stoning of Satan, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, on September 24, 2015. (Photo: AFP)

The AFP collected its data from Islamic nations inside and outside the region. Iran said that 464 Iranians were killed at this year’s festival, the largest number of deaths. Egypt had 177 deaths, Indonesia 120 deaths, India 101, Nigeria 99, Pakistan 87, Bangladesh 79, and Mali 60. More than 20 other countries announced casualties.
In 1990, a huge stampede that occurred in a tunnel at Mina after a failure in its ventilation system killed 1,426 pilgrims, most of them from Asia.