The repatriation of Iranians killed in the Haj stampede in Saudi Arabia has been delayed until at least Wednesday, officials said, citing administrative problems and difficulties in identifying victims.
With the uproar over the tragedy showing no sign of easing, President Hassan Rouhani arrived back in Tehran on Tuesday having left the United Nations (UN) General Assembly early, after citing Saudi “incompetence” at the Haj.
However the families of those who died in the crush ─ 228 Iranian fatalities have been confirmed ─ are still waiting for the ceremonial return of their loved ones.
“A plane is supposed to leave for Jeddah tonight (Tuesday) for the transfer of bodies,” said Ali Marashi, head of the Iranian Red Crescent’s medical centre in Tehran, which is organising the repatriation.
But the task is proving difficult as the toll continues to rise ─ beyond the confirmed dead a further 227 Iranians were injured and 246 are missing.
“God willing we will have the funerals tomorrow,” Marashi said Tuesday. “As well as the previous 21 containers there are now more dead bodies. Work is very slow.”
Iran’s health minister, Hassan Hashemi, arrived in Mecca early Tuesday to head the effort to return the bodies, having tried to go earlier but his plane was refused permission to land.
Iran has been deeply critical of Saudi Arabia, accusing it of serious safety lapses during the Haj.
In New York on Monday, Rouhani called for “an independent and precise investigation into the causes of this disaster and ways of preventing its repetition”.
He urged Saudi Arabia to allow immediate consular access to quickly identify the bodies and ensure their return home, and reiterated Tehran’s criticism of Riyadh’s response so far.
The pilgrims were taking part in a “grand and global spiritual gathering of the Haj” but “fell victim to the incompetence and mismanagement of those in charge”, Rouhani said.
At least 769 pilgrims were killed, while at least 900 others were injured in the Mina stampede.
Protecting the visitors to mosques at the holy cities of Makkah and Madina is a key pillar of legitimacy for the Saudi royal family, and the king has the title of “custodian of the two shrines”.
Speaking to the country’s crown prince Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, top Saudi cleric Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh had said he did not hold authorities responsible for the disaster.
“You are not responsible for what happened. You dealt with the beneficial factors that were in your hands and within your ability. As for the things that humans cannot control, you cannot be blamed for them. Fate and destiny are inevitable,” Al al-Sheikh, known as the Grand Mufti, earlier said in a televised statement.
