Press
Extreme heat with temperatures around 50 degrees and long stretches without a break: the number of deaths during the Muslim pilgrimage is probably much higher. Many of them were not registered.
Riyadh – According to official figures, 1,301 people died during the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to extreme heat. About 83 percent of the dead were unregistered pilgrims, Saudi Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel announced on Sunday evening. He did not provide detailed information on the nationalities of the victims.
Temperatures in Mecca and other nearby pilgrimage sites rose to as much as 50 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the last day of this year’s Hajj. “The unregistered pilgrims walked long distances under the sun without protection or rest. Some of them were elderly and some others had chronic illnesses,” Al-Jalajel told Saudi state television Al-Ekhbariya.
Identification of the dead continues
Many of the dead did not have any identification documents with them, so it will take time before they can be identified and their families informed. According to the governments of several Arab countries, a large proportion of the deceased pilgrims were not officially registered and had travelled to Saudi Arabia on normal tourist visas rather than special entry permits for the Hajj. Unregistered pilgrims generally do not have access to the accommodation and transport services provided for pilgrims.
The pilgrimage to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is one of the five basic duties of the religion. If physically able, every Muslim should complete the pilgrimage at least once in their life. This year, around 1.8 million pilgrims took part. dpa
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