Over 1,000 people have died during this year’s Hajj, with over half of those victims being unregistered pilgrims who underwent the sweltering Saudi Arabian heat for the trip.
According to an Arab ambassador who offered a breakdown indicating that 630 of the 658 total deaths from that country were unregistered, 58 of the new deaths announced on Thursday came from Egypt.
One of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims who have the means to do so must perform at least once is the annual pilgrimage, of which 1,081 deaths have been reported overall from about ten different nations.
Official announcements or diplomatic representatives tasked with coordinating their nations’ responses have provided the figures.
The Grand Mosque in Makkah recorded a peak temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) earlier this week, according to the national meteorological centre.
A Saudi report that was released last month claims that the region’s temperatures are increasing by 0.4 degrees Celsius every ten years.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims seek to complete the Hajj through unofficial means every year since they are unable to pay the sometimes expensive legal visas.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims seek to complete the Hajj through unofficial means every year since they are unable to pay the sometimes expensive legal visas.
Although hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims were reportedly removed from Makkah by Saudi authorities earlier this month, it seems that many continued to take part in the main rituals, which got underway last Friday.
Because they were unable to enter the air-conditioned areas that Saudi officials had provided for the 1.8 million licenced pilgrims to cool off after hours of walking and praying outside, this group was more susceptible to the heat.
“After being pursued by security personnel prior to Arafat Day, people were worn out. They were worn out,” an Arab ambassador told AFP on Thursday, alluding to the culmination of the Hajj, which was Saturday’s daylong outdoor prayers.
The ambassador stated that heat-related illnesses, such as high blood pressure, were the main cause of death among Egyptian pilgrims.
Apart from Egypt, other countries that have acknowledged fatalities include Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, and the autonomous Kurdistan area of Iraq; however, in numerous cases, the cause of death has not been disclosed by the authorities.
The pilgrims who are still missing have been sought after by friends and family.
They searched hospitals and begged for updates online on Wednesday, expecting the worst given the sweltering heat.
Saudi Arabia reported more than 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” on Sunday alone, but it has not released any information regarding fatalities.
