Saudi Arabia Pays Compensation to Iran for Deaths in Hajj

The Saudi Arabian government paid a compensation to relatives of the Iranians killed in 2015 during the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, reported on Tuesday authorities of the Persian nation.

According to the Head of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization of Iran, Alireza Rashidian, officials of the kingdom announced they remitted compensation for the death of Iranian pilgrims in the accident of Masjid al-Haram caused by the collapse of a crane.

He also revealed the signing of an agreement between Tehran and Riyadh to guarantee security to Iranians during the Hajj rituals (annual pilgrimage to Mecca) next year.

The consent stipulates that more than 86 thousand Muslims of the Persian nation will make the pilgrimage to the holy Islamic city in the next season. In September 2015, a crane rushed and killed about 100 pilgrims, including five Iranian citizens.

A few days later, almost 2,500 pilgrims lost their lives in a stampede that took place in the vicinity of Mecca, according to Dear.

Saudi authorities say the death toll reached almost 800, while the Iranians place it at 4,700, of which 460 were citizens of the country of the Persians.