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Kenya confirms 3 nationals killed in Hajj stampede

Xinhua, September 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Kenyan government confirmed Friday that three Kenyan nationals taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage died and one other was seriously injured in the stampede near Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca.

The injured had been taken to hospital, and the families of the victims contacted, a statement from the ministry of foreign affairs said.

Updates would be made public as the ministry was receiving developments from Kenya's mission in Saudi Arabia, it said.

A total of 4,950 Kenyans were attending this year's Hajj pilgrimage, according to the ministry.

The Kenyan envoy to Riyadh and other Kenyan diplomats were in Mecca, accounting for all the Kenyans on Hajj, the statement said.

The stampede occurred in Mecca's neighborhood of Mina, which traditionally provides temporary accommodation for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. So far the incident has killed over 700 Hajj pilgrims. Enditem