麦加踩踏事故逾700人遇难

AS IT IS 2015-09-25 More than 700 Crushed to Death Near Mecca 麦加踩踏事故逾700人遇难

More than 700 people were crushed to death Thursday near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in a stampede.

More than 800 others were injured. The victims were part of the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage, which began Tuesday.

Saudi officials say the stampede happened in Mina, about five kilometers from Mecca. Hajj pilgrims¹ go to Mina to throw rocks at three stone walls that represent evil. It is the final part of the Hajj ritual² before the yearly Eid al-Adha religious observance. The pilgrims also spend the night at Mina. The area has more than 160,000 tents for the visitors.

The Saudi Arabian civil defense³ department reported the number of dead and injured on the social media website Twitter.

There have been several deadly stampedes at the Hajj during the past 25 years. Huge numbers of people gather for the five-day-long event. This year, 2 million pilgrims are taking part. All Muslims are required to go on the Hajj at least once, if they are able.

Last year, Saudi Arabia reduced the number of pilgrims because of concerns about safety.

The worst Hajj stampede happened 25 years ago inside a tunnel in Mina. More than 1,400 people were killed. Stampedes in three other years -- 1994, 2004 and 2006 -- each killed more than 200 people.

Earlier this month, a construction crane collapsed⁵ during Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque⁶ in Mecca. Workers had been expanding the mosque. More than 100 people were killed and more than 200 others injured. Officials said high winds during a rainstorm caused the crane to collapse⁴. The machine had reportedly been operating at the construction project for three or four years.

The Grand Mosque is Islam’s holiest site. It is among the largest religious centers in the world and has millions of visitors every year.

Words in This Story

stampede – n. an event in which a large group of frightened or excited animals or people run together in a wild and uncontrolled way to escape from something

Hajj – n. a visit to Mecca that is a religious duty for Muslims

pilgrimage – n. a trip to a holy place

ritual – n. an official ceremony or series of acts that is always performed in the same way

tent – n. a shelter that is used outdoors, and usually made of cloth

tunnel – n. a passage that goes under the ground or through a hill

construction – adj. related to the development or repair of buildings or other structures

crane – n. a big machine with a long arm that is used by builders for lifting and moving heavy things

mosque – n. a building that is used for Muslim religious services

1 pilgrims   

香客，朝圣者( pilgrim的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca 前往麦加的穆斯林朝圣者
• Many pilgrims knelt piously at the shrine. 许多朝圣者心虔意诚地在神殿跪拜。

2 ritual   

adj.例行的，老规矩的，惯常的

参考例句：

• This was the monthly ritual.这是每月一次的例规。
• I realized that here the conventions required me to make the ritual noises.我意识到此时按照惯例我应该说些客套话。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。