By Claudia Lombardo
Contributing Writer

On Thursday, Sept. 24, at least 769 people were killed at the Muslim holy site of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during a sudden stampede. Millions of Muslims were gathered for the Stoning the Devil ritual which takes place during Hajj, a required pilgrimage for capable Muslims. It is still unclear why the stampede occurred, only that a sudden surge in the crowd led to absolute chaos. CNN cites some possible causes such as extreme heat, confusion amongst first-timers, and the rush to complete the rituals.

Sadly, this is not the first time that a stampede during Hajj has resulted in tragedy. Numerous deaths have occurred during this pilgrimage, with the deadliest being in 1990 when 1,426 people died. With the sheer amount of people gathered in one place, it isn’t surprising that problems arise, but it is still unfortunate and seems completely avoidable. Saudi Arabia has attempted to curb these tragedies in recent years, most notably by putting up barriers at the stoning site and later erecting three pillars and building a bridge nearby where pilgrims could throw the stones. Although these deterred the stampedes for a while, Thursday’s event showed that there is only so much such measures can do. It is still unclear on how Saudi Arabia will try to deter a stampede at next year’s Hajj.