Hundreds of Muslim pilgrims have been killed in a stampede in a farewell ritual of the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

The stampede took place at the foot of the Jamarat bridge, where pilgrims hurl stones at three pillars representing the spot where the devil is said to have appeared to Abraham.

The death toll from the stampede is the highest since 1990, when more than 1,000 pilgrims died in a similar crush.

With the local hospital in Mina overflowing, many of the injured had to be rushed to hospitals in nearby Mecca.

Saudi authorities had taken more safety measures - and blamed pilgrims for the accident.

Outside the hospitals, anxious pilgrims were desperate for news.