RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's top religious leader said authorities are not to blame in the stampede that left hundreds of Hajj pilgrims dead because it was beyond human control, state media reported Saturday.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin-Abdullah al-Sheikh told the country's crown prince "fate and destiny are inevitable." Some 769 pilgrims were killed and 934 injured in the stampede during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the Islamic holy city of Mecca Thursday.