Saudi government from the relatives of the stampede's casualties, Saudi officials put the blame on unruly pilgrims for causing the stampede and denied that authorities could have done more to stop the stampede. Saudi interior ministry spokesman, Maj Gen Mansour al-Turki, told the BBC's Newshour programme that the dangers would only increase if crowd controls were tightened further. "People insist that they want to finish their Hajj in the way they think is right and you have a limited effect in using policemen to control people in this regard," he said. "You cannot really control them by force because if you do probably you will increase the problem because you will have people pushing you. We had so many police officers today who were injured in this situation." Seventy ambulances were used by Saudi officials to rush the victims to seven hospitals in Mina and nearby Arafat. After the casualties had been removed, the Saudi government used bulldozers to clear the area so the ceremony could continue. Learning from the tragedy Infrastructure The Saudi government had invested in improving crowd flow at Jamaraat Bridge, by widening it to eight lanes. Plans for the bridge to be demolished and rebuilt as a four-storey structure with air-conditioning were approved in 2005. This work went ahead immediately after the January 2006 Hajj and was completed prior to the 2009 Hajj. These infrastructure improvements were not accompanied by adequate signage telling pilgrims which direction to travel, a problem given that most Hajjis have never visited before. 'Illegal' pilgrims There have been repeated calls to restrict the numbers allowed to attend the Hajj and, in particular, 'illegal' pilgrims. 'Illegal' pilgrims are those who do not hold a Hajj permit, Mecca residence permit or a Hajj work permit. There were reports of up to one million illegal pilgrims in 2006. Crackdowns on such pilgrims have become an increasing feature of security arrangements. Pilgrims' education Calls continued to be made for better disaster planning long after the 2006 crush, with suggestions to make pilgrims aware of that the stoning ritual can take place at various times as well as training on basic preventive measures for infectious diseases and outbreaks and how to stay safe in large crowds. By 2009, large bags had been banned during the stoning rituals. Health risks The annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca has always been challenging. The 2006 Hajj was no different though