Another 450 people were injured in the incident at Mina, between Mount Arafat and Mecca's Grand Mosque.

The stampede occurred as more than a million pilgrims were taking part in the last major rite of the Hajj.

Earlier this month, a crane collapsed at Mecca's Grand Mosque, killing 109 people and injuring some 400 others.

The Hajj had been largely incident-free for the past nine years as a result of a series of safety improvements made the Saudi authorities.

In 2006, a stampede during the symbolic stoning of the devil at Mina left 364 pilgrims dead.