Mecca (Saudi Arabia). This year, more than 1000 pilgrims died during the Haj pilgrimage due to extreme heat in Saudi Arabia. Officials gave this information on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the number of people who died due to extreme heat during the Haj pilgrimage. It was also not told what caused the deaths.
However, hundreds of people queued up at the emergency complex in Mecca’s Al-Muaisam trying to get information about their missing family members. A list circulated online showed that at least 550 people died during the five-day Hajj. The doctor and another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they believed the hospital held at least 600 bodies.
Deaths during the Hajj are not uncommon, as more than 2 million people sometimes travel to Saudi Arabia. In addition, stampedes and epidemics have occurred in the past during the Hajj pilgrimage. According to an article published in the April edition of the Journal of Infection and Public Health, millions of people from low-income countries travel to Hajj each year “many of whom receive little or no pre-Hajj health care.”
It says infectious diseases could spread among the gathered people. However, this year’s death toll suggests the rise in deaths was due to something else. Several countries, including Jordan and Tunisia, have said some of their pilgrims died because of the heat at Mecca’s holy sites. Indian pilgrim Khalid Bashir Bajaj, standing near the main mosque on Wednesday, said he had seen “many people fainting and falling to the ground” during this year’s Hajj.
According to the Saudi National Center for Meteorology, temperatures in Mecca and religious sites around the city reached 47 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Some people fainted while trying to symbolically stone the devil. Many Egyptians said they were separated from loved ones in the heat and crowds. According to Saudi Hajj officials, more than 18.3 million Muslims performed the Hajj in 2024, including more than 16 lakh people from 22 countries and 2,22,000 Saudi citizens and residents.
Tags: Hajj yatra, Saudi arabia
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 23, 2024, 21:02 IST