Jeddah flood toll rises to 83

More bodies have been recovered in the western Saudi city of Jeddah, gateway for Muslim pilgrims headed to Mecca, pushing the death toll from Wednesday’s flash flood to 83, reports said yesterday.
The Al-Watan and Okaz newspapers said the toll had risen to 83, nearly all of them in Jeddah, after the Red Sea port was hit by a torrential downpour that sparked what observers said looked like a tidal wave when it struck the city.
Officials said none of the dead were pilgrims for the hajj, which was underway in Mecca 80 kilometres (50 miles) away.
Receding waters yesterday revealed crumbled bridges and torn up roads, with crumpled vehicles piled up in areas like driftwood.
Meanwhile, in Mecca pilgrims yesterday pelted pillars symbolising the devil with pebbles to show their defiance on the third day of the hajj as Muslims worldwide marked the Eid al-Adha holy day with mass animal sacrifices.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims filed by the three jamarat pillars in Mina tossing stones to mark Abraham’s three rejections of the devil’s attempts to persuade him to ignore God’s instructions to sacrifice his son Ishmael as related in the Koran.
The stoning was orderly during the night and early morning on Friday, fulfilling Saudi hopes that enlarged pillars and a newly-built five storey pilgrim walkway would end the crowding that led to deadly stampedes in previous years as the faithful jammed into the area for the required ritual.
The design of the new bridge, forcing all pilgrims to move in one direction and offering numerous exits, aim to prevent a recurrence.
After throwing the pebbles, many pilgrims were also taking advantage of dozens of barbers around Mina to shave their heads as part of their purification, at 10 riyals (2.67 dollars) apiece.
The stoning ritual in Mina is followed by the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of head of livestock, also rooted in the Koranic account.
As Abraham fended off the devil and moved toward fulfilling the command to kill Ishmael, an angel intervened and revoked the command, supplying Abraham instead with a ram to sacrifice.
Muslims around the world ritually kill goats, sheep and cattle on this day to commemorate Abraham’s obedience to God and Ishmael’s reprieve.
In Mecca authorities have moved the sacrifices to massive abattoirs and most pilgrims buy certificates guaranteeing them a sheep or goat will be killed in their name.
The abattoirs mostly butcher the animals and freeze a part for donation to the poor in other countries.
Elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, people could be seen yesterday morning readying animals for the sacrifice in their homes.
An estimated 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world were in the holy city of Mecca this week for the hajj, braving the threat of swine flu which has killed four of their number and shrugging off a heavy downpour on Tuesday in nearby Jeddah.