MAKKAH: At least 18 Pakistani pilgrims are confirmed dead while 20 are reported injured after a stampede which killed more than 700 in Mina outside the holy city of Makkah on Thursday.According to a list published by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the deceased persons include Hafsa Shoaib, Zarin Naseem, Syeda Narjis Shahnaz, Bibi Zainab, Mahmood Arshad, Rasheedan Bibi, Zahid Gul, Dr. Ameer Ali Lashari and Makhdoomzada Syed Asad Murtaza Gillani, Abdul Rehman, Shehnaz Qamar, Islam Ahmad, Bushra Bibi, Muhammad Hasrat, Azeem Khan, Muhammad Idrees, Aamir Muhammad Malook and Gul Shahnaz.

Details of Pakistanis confirmed dead in the Mina stampede. ─ Courtesy: Ministry of Religious Affairs

Of the 20 Pakistani pilgrims who were injured during the tragedy, 12 have been discharged from hospitals, while the remaining eight are receiving medical aid in Mina ul Wadi Hospital, Mina Dispensary No. 5 or King Abdullah Hospital Jeddah.

Details of Pakistanis injured in the stampede. ─ Courtesty: Ministry of Religious Affairs

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed the Foreign Office and Director General Haj to double their efforts for finding missing pilgrims and re-uniting them with their respective families.

Pakistanis wishing to inquire about their loved ones are advised to call emergency helpline numbers 00966125458000 and 0096612527753.

Moreover the Foreign Office has also rejected claims made by Britain’sGuardian newspaper that 236 Pakistanis were killed in the fatal crush.

Also read: Haj stampede death toll rises to 769, Iran denounces ‘crime’

At least 769 pilgrims were killed while 934 were injured on Thursday in a stampede at Mina where some two million people performed Haj.

It is the worst disaster to strike the annual pilgrimage in 25 years.

The tragedy occurred when two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads on their way to performing the symbolic stoning of the devil, the Saudi civil defence directorate said.

Soon after the incident, Saudi King Salman had said that he had ordered a review of the kingdom’s plans for the annual Haj pilgrimage.

King Salman, speaking in a live speech broadcast by Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television, said he had asked for a swift investigation into what he described as a painful incident.