Sudden rain on a scale rarely seen in Saudi Arabia earlier this week caused floods with a death toll that has now risen to 77, according to Saudi officials, who say the worst-hit area was Jeddah, about 60km from the holy city of Mecca, Wednesday 25 November. Thousands of pilgrims making their way to Mecca for the annual Hajj were warned by the government to take extra care, with more heavy rain forecast for the area. Aljazeera reports that thousands of people are stuck in Jeddah, unable to start the trip to Mecca.
Two million pilgrims have made the trip to Mecca for the Hajj, and according to Al Jazeera hundreds of thousands have already taken part in the symbolic mass stoning at Mina, where stones are thrown at a wall to “symbolize the rejection of temptation.” Saudi authorities have made improvements to the area, which has been the scene of stampedes in the past, including one in 2006 that killed 362 people, Al Jazeera reports.
