Hajj stampede: History of disasters affecting annual Islamic event in Mecca

More than 700 people are thought to have been killed in the latest tragedy

People queuing for the 'Throwing of the Devils' ritual in 2014

Every year, millions of Muslims converge on the Saudi holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the annual hajj pilgrimage, with the massive ceremonies representing a major security and logistical challenge for the kingdom's authorities.

On occasion, the Hajj and events surrounding it have been marred by accidents and tragedies, such as the stampede near Mecca that killed at least 700 people.

Here are some of the most deadly Hajj-related incidents in recent years:

2015: At least 150 people are killed and 400 injured in a stampede in Mina, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca. In the lead-up to hajj, at least 107 people are killed and scores wounded when a crane collapses in bad weather, crashing onto the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site.

2006: More than 360 pilgrims are killed in a stampede at the desert plain of Mina, near Mecca, where pilgrims carry out a symbolic stoning of the devil by throwing pebbles against three stone walls. The day before the hajj began, an eight-story building being used as a hostel near the Grand Mosque in Mecca collapsed, killing at least 73 people.

2004: A crush of pilgrims at Mina kills 244 pilgrims and injures hundreds on the final day of the hajjceremonies.

2001: A stampede at Mina during the final day of the pilgrimage ceremonies kills 35 hajj pilgrims.

1998: About 180 pilgrims are trampled to death in panic after several of them fell off an overpass during the final stoning ritual at Mina.

(AP)

1997: At least 340 pilgrims are killed in a fire at the tent city of Mina as the blaze was aided by high winds. More than 1,500 were injured.

1994: Some 270 pilgrims are killed in a stampede during the stoning ritual at Mina.

1990: The worst hajj-related tragedy claims the lives of 1,426 pilgrims in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel leading to holy sites in Mecca.

Associated Press