We are all familiar with the huge excitement that Muslims all over the world have when it comes to travelling to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, the fifth pillar of Islam and a trip every able-bodied adult Muslim must make at least once, if they have the resources to do so.

Millions embark on this holy expedition every year. Last year, more than two million people went on pilgrimage to Mecca, according the Saudi statistics office. Compare that to the 57,000 or so who attended Hajj in 1921.

But while the biggest experience among pilgrims is one of spiritual uplift, the annual event has been marred in recent time by a number of serious incidents putting their safety at risk. This year alone, nearly 1,000 people were killed and thousands more injured between a stampede near Mecca on 24 September, and a crane collapse at the city’s Grand Mosque 12 days earlier.

The present tragedy represents the greatest loss of life since 1990, when 1,426 most Asian pilgrims died in a stampede on their way to holy sites.

We welcome the Saudi authorities’ launching of a commission to investigate the most recent events, which Saudi health minister al- Khaled Falih, claims was caused by pilgrims who moved “without respecting the timetables”. At the same time, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman “must accept the huge responsibility for this catastrophe”.

Whatever the cause, it is upsetting to note that the latest tragedy occurred as pilgrims were performing the last part of their pilgrimage, which involves travelling to Mina to throw seven stones at pillars called Jamarat, a representation of the devil and his evil.