Mina, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz has directed the Kingdom’s authorities to conduct an investigation into the tragic stampede that killed hundreds of pilgrims near Mecca on Thursday.

At least 717 pilgrims were killed and 863 injured on Thursday after two large groups of people collided at a crossroads in Mina, east of the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Major General Mansour Al-Turki, a spokesman for the Saudi interior ministry, said.

Investigations into the causes of the stampede were underway, the spokesman said, adding that “high temperature and tiredness” contributed to the accident.

Saudi Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed Bin Naif ordered the formation of an investigation committee to look into the accident and submit its findings to King Salman, the ministry spokesman said at a press conference on Thursday.

The King offered his condolences to the families of the victims and ordered a review of Hajj plans and arrangements to ensure improved organization and management as well as “to allow the guests of God to perform [Hajj] rituals in comfort and ease.”

“Regardless of the investigation results, the improvement of the methods and mechanisms of the Hajj season will not stop. We have instructed the concerned entities to re-evaluate the current policy and the distribution of responsibilities,” the King said during a meeting with Saudi ministers and security chiefs at the royal palace in Mina on Thursday evening.

King Salman received messages of condolence from several Muslim and Arab leaders, including the Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Tunisian President Beji Caid El-Sebsi.

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and German chancellor Angela Merkel offered their sympathies and condolences to the King.

Miscalculation on the part of pilgrims was the main cause of the tragic stampede, witnesses said.

Several pilgrims who survived the accident told Asharq Al-Awsat that people kept on moving towards the Jamarat—where pilgrims perform the “stoning the devil” ritual—despite the limited space and overcrowding.

“Some pilgrims kept on moving, something which led large groups of people to collide,” a pilgrim who was at the scene when the crush occurred told Asharq Al-Awsat. He added: “What made things worse was the high temperature which caused the elderly and the sick to fall.”

Ibrahim Al-Qurashi contributed additional reporting from Mina.