OUAGADOUGOU, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Burkina Faso government on Thursday declared three days of national mourning starting Friday, in memory of the 22 victims who perished during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, an official source said Thursday.
A statement issued after Wednesday's cabinet meeting said the stampede that occurred in Mina on Sept. 24 left 22 Burkinabes dead with seven others still missing.
A total of 5,662 Burkinabe pilgrims made it to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj.
The government said plans had been made to receive the bodies of the victims between Oct. 15 to 24, 2015, and that religious ceremonies will be organized across the country to pray for the victims as well as the injured.
