Stoke City striker Mame Biram Diouf has been informed that his mother was among those who died in the crush on the outskirts of Mecca last month.
The disaster happened during the annual Hajj pilgrimage on September 24, with more than 700 people killed as a result of a stampede in the city of Mina.
Diouf's mother, Gnilane, was attending a ritual called 'stoning the devil', where pebbles are thrown at large pillars.
Diouf's sister was also taking part in the pilgrimage but she escaped with minor injuries.
The crush occurred on the first day of the Eid al-Adha festival on a road between two pilgrim camps.
More than 220 ambulances and 4,000 rescue workers were sent to the area to help, with Saudi authorities later reporting that 717 people died and another 850 were injured.
Gnilane Diouf's body was identified on Monday and in a statement on Tuesday, the club said: 'Stoke wish to extend sincere condolences to Mame Diouf following the tragic death of his mother.
'The club will provide Mame with all the support he needs at this extremely difficult time and our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and friends.'
No comments:
Post a Comment