Mecca stampede: Wasseypur man among dead, parents missing
A pall of gloom descended in Dhanbad after reports came in that a Wasseypur man was among the Indians killed and his parents were among the missing in Thursday’s Haj stampede in Mina (Mecca).
A pall of gloom descended in Dhanbad after reports came in that a Wasseypur man was among the Indians killed and his parents were among the missing in Thursday’s Haj stampede in Mina (Mecca).
More than 750 people died and over 800 were injured in the stampede that occurred when the pilgrims jostled their way to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mecca.
The Wasseypur man was identified as Niyazul Haq, who was working with Saudi-based Hanwa Engineering and Construction Company and staying there along with a brother and a brother-in-law.
“At the time of the stampede, Niyazul was serving the Haj pilgrims,” said Niyazul’s brother Ezazul, who resides in his Aramore home here.
Ezazul said his elder brother Anawarul, who is also working at a Saudi-based private company, told him over the phone that their sister Shabana had been traced.
But father Mansurul Haq, a retired BCCL employee, and mother Nasima Khatun were missing since the stampede, he said.
Niyazul’s wife and three daughters reside in Dhanbad.
“This Bakrid was gloomy for my entire family as my sister in-law couldn’t even see the
last rite of her husband as his body would be buried in Mecca,” said Ezazul.
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Chitapur Ramgarh area was also in shock after relatives of Waheed Alam (30), who was working in a construction company in Mecca, claimed that his mobile phone was switched off since the stampede.
“Waheed is missing since the stampede. Many local people are visiting there to know about him. We are also trying to consult him and his friends in Mecca but nothing positive has come out so far,” said his brother Firoz Alam in Chitapur.
“We will consult Ramgarh district administration for help,” said Firoz.