VOA慢速英语：麦加踩踏事故逾700人遇难

More than 700 people were crushed to death Thursday near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in a stampede.

周四，在沙特阿拉伯麦加附近的一次踩踏事件中，700多人被踩死。

More than 800 others were injured. The victims were part of the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage, which began Tuesday.

超过800人受伤。受害者中有一部分是穆斯朝觐者，该活动于周二开始。

A pilgrim is treated by a medic after a stampede that killed and injured pilgrims in the holy city of Mina during the annual hajj pilgrimage, Sept.24. The image was posted on the official Twitter account of the directorate of the Saudi Civil Defense agency.

Saudi officials say the stampede happened in Mina, about five kilometers from Mecca. Hajj pilgrims go to Mina to throw rocks at three stone walls that represent evil. It is the final part of the Hajj ritual before the yearly Eid al-Adha religious observance. The pilgrims also spend the night at Mina. The area has more than 160,000 tents for the visitors.

沙特官员表示，踩踏事件发生在米纳，离麦加大约只有5公里。朝觐者用石头对着一面石墙猛砸，以示驱散恶魔。在每年宰牲节的宗教仪式之前，这是朝觐活动的最后部分。朝觐者还在米娜借宿。该地区有16多万顶游客的帐篷。

The Saudi Arabian civil defense department reported the number of dead and injured on the social media website Twitter.

沙特阿拉伯民防部门在社交媒体网站Twitter上公布死亡人数与受伤人数。

There have been several deadly stampedes at the Hajj during the past 25 years. Huge numbers of people gather for the five-day-long event. This year, 2 million pilgrims are taking part. All Muslims are required to go on the Hajj at least once, if they are able.

过去25年，在朝觐时已发生过几次致命的踩踏事件。大量人们聚集在一起，参加这个为期5天的活动。今年，有200万朝觐者参加。如果可以，所有的穆斯林必须至少一次前往麦加朝觐。

Last year, Saudi Arabia reduced the number of pilgrims because of concerns about safety.

去年，出于对安全问题考虑，沙特阿拉伯减少朝觐者的数量。

The worst Hajj stampede happened 25 years ago inside a tunnel in Mina. More than 1,400 people were killed. Stampedes in three other years -- 1994, 2004 and 2006 -- each killed more than 200 people. Visit the website www.chinavoa.com to get more information!

最严重的朝觐踩踏事件发生在25年前，在米娜隧道内。1400余人丧生。1994年，2004年和2006年——这3年，每次踩踏事件造成200多人死亡。

Earlier this month, a construction crane collapsed during Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Workers had been expanding the mosque. More than 100 people were killed and more than 200 others injured. Officials said high winds during a rainstorm caused the crane to collapse. The machine had reportedly been operating at the construction project for three or four years.

本月早些时候，星期五祷告期间，在麦加大清真寺一辆建筑起重机倒塌。工人们已经将清真寺扩大。100多人死亡，200余人受伤。官员们表示，在暴风雨期间，强风导致起重机倒塌。据报道，该机器已经为该建设项目运行长达三四年。

The Grand Mosque is Islam's holiest site. It is among the largest religious centers in the world and has millions of visitors every year.

大清真寺是伊斯兰教的圣地。它是世界上最大的宗教中心之一，每年拥有数以百万计的游客。

I'm Christopher Jones-Cruise.

我是Christopher Jones-Cruise。

VOA's Chris Hannas reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

stampede– n. an event in which a large group of frightened or excited animals or people run together in a wild and uncontrolled way to escape from something

Hajj – n. a visit to Mecca that is a religious duty for Muslims

pilgrimage– n. a trip to a holy place

ritual – n. an official ceremony or series of acts that is always performed in the same way

tent– n. a shelter that is used outdoors, and usually made of cloth

tunnel– n. a passage that goes under the ground or through a hill

construction– adj. related to the development or repair of buildings or other structures

crane– n. a big machine with a long arm that is used by builders for lifting and moving heavy things

mosque – n. a building that is used for Muslim religious services