MMore than a thousand people died this year during the great annual pilgrimage to Mecca held in stifling heat, according to an updated AFP count this Thursday.
According to the criteria of
The new balance includes another 58 Egyptians, which brings to at least 658 the number of pilgrims of this nationality who died during the Haj in Saudi Arabia.
Of them, 630 were in an irregular situation in the kingdom, which distributes visas by country each year on the occasion of the pilgrimage based on a quota system.
In total, 1,081 people from about 10 countries died this year in the great annual pilgrimage to Mecca,
Total, 1,081 people from about 10 countries died this year on the great annual pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam with which every Muslim who has sufficient means to do so must comply.
The figures come from official statements or diplomats from the respective countries. The Hajj, whose dates are determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, fell this year on the threshold of the torrid Saudi summer.
The national meteorological center reported these days a temperature of up to 51.8 ºC in the Great Mosque of Mecca, the holy city where the prophet Muhammad began his preaching.
A Saudi study published in May indicates that temperatures in places where rituals are carried out increase by 0.4ºC Celsius every ten years.
Saudi Arabia has a system of quotas for pilgrims by country, but every year, tens of thousands travel to the kingdom through irregular channels, because they do not have enough money to pay for the official procedure.
Muslim worshipers attend Eid al-Adha prayers in Sale, Morocco, June 17, 2024. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslim holidays celebrated each year.
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These pilgrims are more vulnerable to extreme heat, since in the absence of official documents They cannot access the air-conditioned spaces enabled by the Saudi authorities, which this year received 1.8 million authorized pilgrims.
“People were exhausted,” a diplomat told AFP this Thursday, referring to the exhausting day on Saturday, in which the faithful spent the day outside on the occasion of the climb to Mount Arafat, a hill near Mecca where According to tradition, Muhammad delivered his last sermon.
According to this diplomat, The main cause of death among Egyptian pilgrims was heat.
Saudi Arabia announces success
Despite these circumstances, the Saudi Government announced the “success” of its operational plan implemented during this pilgrimage season. to address any situation, specifically in the field of health.
The Minister of Health, Fahd al Yalayel, stated that this ‘haj’ was free of outbreaks of epidemics or threats to public health and detailed that more than 390,000 pilgrims received medical attention throughout the week.
“More than 28 open heart surgeries were performed, in addition to more than 720 cardiac catheterizations, virtual services were also provided through the Seha Virtual Hospital to more than 5,800 pilgrims,” he stated in a statement reproduced by the official Saudi news agency. SPA, although so far it has not reported processes.
The ‘haj’, which this year has an average cost of $5,000 per person, It is one of the five pillars of Islam and is obligatory at least once in a lifetime for every Muslim whose health and resources allow it.
The rich Arab kingdom received around 13 million faithful during 2023, according to authorities.
A Muslim pilgrim splashes water on his head to cool off at the base of Saudi Arabia’s Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma.
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