Mecca tunnel tragedy

Saudi officials have recovered the bodies of four more Turkish victims of the hajj stampede on Sept. 12, bringing the total death toll of Turkish citizens to seven.

Saudi Arabia said Sept.29 the nearly 1,100 photos distributed to foreign diplomats to help identify nationals who have died in the hajj are from the entire pilgrimage and not just a disaster near Mecca.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an 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 Sept. 25.