More than 500 pilgrims have died due to heat during the Hajj to Saudi Arabia.
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“The total number of deaths in the morgue of the Al-Muaysema district of Mecca <…> was 550 people,” the country’s representatives said.
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Previously, the death of 76 pilgrims was reported – 41 from Jordan and 35 from Tunisia.
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At least 323 of the dead were Egyptian citizens, two Arab diplomats said. One of the sources said that all of them (with the exception of one person who was fatally injured during a small stampede) died from heat-related illnesses. In addition, at least 60 Jordanians were killed.
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This brings the total number of deaths reported by several countries to 577. As it turns out, the number of Egyptian deaths has increased due to the large number of unregistered pilgrims.
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“The unregistered pilgrims have caused great chaos in Egyptian pilgrimage camps, leading to a collapse in services,” an official overseeing the Hajj mission in Egypt said.
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He added that people were left without food, water or air conditioning for a long time.
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This year the Hajj takes place from June 14 to 19.
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Temperatures in Mecca reached 45 degrees Celsius on June 17, according to weather monitoring site AccuWeather. And on that day, the Saudi Arabian Meteorological Service recorded +52 in the largest mosque in the city. According to the Saudi Ministry of Health, on June 16 alone, 2,764 pilgrims suffered from heatstroke.
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The head of the department, Fahd al-Jalajel, urged pilgrims not to go out from 11:00 to 16:00 local time, avoid exposure to the sun, use umbrellas and adhere to drinking guidelines.
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The annual mass pilgrimage of Muslims to the holy sites in Mecca and Medina is often accompanied by a considerable number of deaths. Last year, during the Hajj, 240 people died due to the heat, and more than ten thousand experienced health problems.
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According to the European climate change service Copernicus, last May was the hottest on record. Climate change is significantly affecting the Gulf countries. In addition to the temperature maximums, the region recorded record amounts of precipitation in the spring.
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Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman skipped the G7 meeting in Italy last week due to responsibilities associated with the arrival of more than 1.5 million Muslims from around the world for the Hajj.
