RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 5 -- Thirty-five Muslim pilgrims died in a stampede as the annual Hajj pilgrimage reached its climax, the Saudi television and the press agency reported Monday.
They died during the Stoning of Satan ritual near the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The ritual, attributed to the Prophet Abraham, requires Muslim to throw stones at a pillar and pledge not to allow Satan to lure them into sins.
Quoting a civil defense official, the Saudi Press Agency said 23 women and 12 men of various nationalities were crushed while hundreds of thousands of people rushed to toss pebbles at three giant pillars in the valley of Mina.
"Most of those killed were elderly people who could hold themselves when the pressure came," the official said.
The Saudi government said Tuesday it would announce the names and nationalities of the victims later.
More than 2 million people performed the annual pilgrimage this year, which culminated Monday with the pilgrims engaging in emotional prayers for salvation and forgiveness. Performing the Hajj at least once in a lifetime-if you are able-is one of the five "pillars", or duties, of Islam.
Pilgrims spend the night in Mina, where they also indulge in ritual stoning, in tents or in the open. Climbing the nearby Mount Arafat, they look like an endless line of white robes ascending the rocky valley.
They reach the Arafat valley in waves, chanting the traditional Haj slogan: "Here I am, O God, here I am! Thou art without a partner! Here I am! All praise is for Thee and from Thee are all the blessings! To Thee alone power and rule belongs!"
The Saudi government makes elaborate arrangement for the protection of the pilgrims, yet accidents often happen at such a huge gathering which includes people from all race and nationalities.
Monday's incident is the latest in a series of disasters to strike the pilgrimage: In 1998, at least 118 people died and more than 180 were injured in a stampede during the third and last day of the stoning ceremony.
Since the last disaster, the Saudi authorities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on safety precautions.
They have constructed tens of thousands of fireproof tents and introduced ways of staggering the flow of pilgrims through certain congested areas.
As part of measures to avoid a crush, elderly pilgrims had a head start Sunday night on the stoning ritual.
Earlier on Sunday, some 1.8 million faithful had climbed Mount Arafat - the site of Muhammad's last sermon 14 centuries ago-to pray for forgiveness.
