Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken out to defend Saudi Arabia in the wake of the Hajj tragedy that left more than 750 pilgrims dead.

“It is not right to have the approach of putting the blame on Saudi Arabia,” he told reporters in Istanbul. “On the contrary, during the Hajj and Umrah I participated in, I came to observe closely the level of sensibility in the organization work conducted there.

“Therefore I cannot say 'the organization is wrong’.

“I believe that the Saudi Arabian government will take some decisions just as they did to act decisively after the construction incident.”

At least 800 pilgrims were injured in Thursday’s crush near Islam’s holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The tragedy unfolded in Mina, around 5 kilometers (3 miles) east of Mecca, shortly after pilgrims had performed the ritual “stoning of the devil” at Jamarat.

According to Saudi figures, some 2 million Muslims from around the world are participating in this year’s Hajj.The tragedy comes two weeks after 107 people were killed when a crane collapsed in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, which had been packed with worshippers at the time.

PHOTO CAPTION

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (L) meets with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara, Turkey, August 28, 2015.

AA