Report: Hajj Crush Deadliest Ever At Pilgrimage

The crush and stampede at the Hajj in Saudi Arabia last month was the deadliest ever at the annual pilgrimage, according to a report.

An Associated Press tally claims at least 1,453 people were killed on 24 September in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, far higher than the official figure that has been given by authorities.

The figure comes from statements and official comments from 19 of the more than 180 countries that sent citizens to the five-day annual pilgrimage.

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Saudi officials have said their figure of 769 killed and 934 injured remains accurate and an investigation continues.

The previous deadliest-ever incident was in 1990, when a stampede killed 1,426 people.

Iran says 465 of its pilgrims were killed, while Egypt lost 148 and Indonesia 120, AP reports.

Others include India with 101, Nigeria with 99, Pakistan with 93, Mali with 70, Bangladesh with 63, Senegal with 54, Benin with 51, Cameroon with 42, Ethiopia with 31, Sudan with 30, Morocco with 27, Algeria with 25, Ghana with 12, Chad with 11, Kenya with eight and Turkey with three.

Around 20,000 Britons made the pilgrimage, according to Rashid Mogradia from the Council of British Hajjis.

British Muslim leaders have called for those going to the pilgrimage in the future to be given compulsory safety training.

Iran has blamed the disaster on Saudi Arabia's "mismanagement" and accused the kingdom of a cover-up, claiming the real death toll is over 4,700, without providing any evidence for this assertion.

Shia power Iran has called for an independent body to take over planning and administering the pilgrimage, which all able Muslims are required to do once in their lifetime.

But the ruling Al Saud family is unlikely to give up its role in administering the holy sites, which along with Saudi Arabia's oil wealth give the Sunni kingdom major influence in the Muslim world.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman is known as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.