The Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has been marred by a tragic increase in deaths, surpassing 1,000 fatalities. More than half of these deaths have been attributed to unregistered pilgrims who participated in the rituals despite the extreme heat. The annual pilgrimage began on June 14, and as of Thursday, June 20, the death toll has continued to climb.
According to a report by AFP, the most recent deaths include 58 from Egypt, with 630 of the total 658 Egyptian fatalities being unregistered pilgrims. The report also stated that around 10 countries have reported a combined 1,081 deaths during the pilgrimage. The death figures have been collected from official statements and diplomats working on their respective countries’ responses to the situation.
A Saudi diplomat confirmed that 68 Indians have died during the Hajj in Mecca, primarily due to the scorching temperatures. “We have confirmed around 68 dead. Some are because of natural causes and we had many old-age pilgrims. And some are due to the weather conditions, that’s what we assume,” the diplomat stated.
The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, requires Muslims with the means to complete the pilgrimage at least once. The timing of the pilgrimage is dictated by the lunar Islamic calendar, and this year it coincided with the sweltering Saudi summer. Temperatures at the Grand Mosque of Mecca reached a peak of 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) earlier this week. A recent Saudi study indicated that temperatures in the region are rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade.
Thousands of pilgrims attempt to participate in the Hajj each year through unofficial channels due to the often exorbitant cost of official permits. Earlier this month, Saudi authorities reported clearing hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca, but it appears that many still participated in the main rites. This group was particularly vulnerable to the heat due to their lack of access to air-conditioned spaces provided by Saudi authorities for the 1.8 million authorized pilgrims. These spaces were meant to allow pilgrims to cool down after hours of walking and praying under the scorching sun.
“People were tired after being chased by security forces before Arafat day. They were exhausted,” an Arab diplomat told AFP, referring to Saturday’s day-long outdoor prayers that marked the climax of the Hajj.
The diplomat also attributed the high number of deaths among Egyptian pilgrims to the heat, which exacerbated pre-existing health conditions such as high blood pressure.
In addition to Egypt and India, fatalities have also been reported by Malaysia, Pakistan, Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. While many authorities have not specified the cause of death, the extreme heat is suspected to be a significant factor.
Friends and family members have been desperately searching for missing pilgrims, scouring hospitals and pleading online for news, fearing the worst during the intense heat. Saudi Arabia has not released official information on fatalities, but did report over 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” on Sunday alone.
