Tasnim – A senior adviser to Iran’s parliament speaker censured Saudi Arabia for its poor handling of the tragic case of deaths of thousands of Hajj pilgrims in Mina in September 2015, saying the kingdom continues to behave irresponsibly two years after the incident.

In an interview with Tasnim, Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Saudi Arabia has behaved in an irresponsible way regarding the Mina tragedy.

The kingdom’s officials should give an explanation and allow for serious investigation into the incident by a fact-finding committee, he added.

Saudi Arabia should not be allowed to shirk responsibility for the death of more than 8,500 pilgrims, including 464 Iranians, Amir Abdollahian stressed.

On September 2, 2015, thousands of people lost their lives in the deadly crush after Saudi authorities blocked a road in Mina during a ritual, forcing large crowds of pilgrims to collide.

The crush was the deadliest incident in the history of the pilgrimage. According to an Associated Press count based on official statements from the 36 countries that lost citizens in the disaster, more than 2,400 pilgrims were killed in the incident.

Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed, but officials at Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said about 4,700 people, including over 460 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives.