New tally in hajj disaster shows at least 1,399 killed

The crush of stampeding people during the hajj pilgrimage last month outside of Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca killed at least 1,399 people, a new tally released on Thursday showed - 630 more than the kingdom's official toll.

A count of the dead by The Associated Press from the worst tragedy to strike the hajj in a quarter-century comes as Saudi Arabia faces threats ranging from the Islamic State insurgency, a war in Yemen against Shiite rebels and weakening global oil prices gnawing away at its reserves.

Any disaster at the hajj, a pillar of Islamic faith, could be seen as a blow to the kingdom's cherished stewardship of Islam's holiest sites. This season saw two, including the Sept 11 collapse of a crane at Mecca's Grand Mosque that killed 111 people.