The US Environment Department said on Tuesday that at least 11 American citizens are among those who lost their lives during the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in scorching temperatures, and it is also possible that there could be more deaths. The coming days.
In Maryland, a couple’s daughter was still searching for solutions regarding the exact circumstances of her parents’ deaths and the activities of the tour operator whom the couple had paid thousands of dollars to assist in creating. Shuttle.
The daughter, Saida Wuri, said she and her brothers had not yet been told where their parents, Isatu and Aliu Wuri, were buried. She says she plans to go to Saudi Arabia once she finds out where they are.
“It’s hard to lose a loved one,” he said Tuesday. “But then not being able to bury them is an indescribable feeling.”
The couple is one of more than 1,300 families who died while making the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, as temperatures sometimes reached 120 degrees. The Saudi government said most of them do not have entry permits.
The Hajj is an intense religious ritual that Muslims are encouraged to complete once or more in their lives, if they are physically and financially able to do so. With around two million pilgrims every hour, it is not uncommon for pilgrims to die from the rigors of heat, the conditions or the weakness of electricity. It is unclear whether the number of deaths at this time is higher than usual, because Saudi Arabia does not always record those figures.
Friends and community members of Isatu, 65, and Aliyu, 71, said it was a negative surprise that they had made the journey, as both were devoted to their religion and had a lifelong dream of visiting Mecca.
“They were amazingly happy people,” said Saeeda, 33. “Everyone loved him.”
Conservation negative for the shuttle used to be a simple task. The couple paid about $23,000 to a tour operator based in Maryland and traveled with dozens of other participants to their Muslim homeland in and around Bowie, Md., outside Washington in early June, Saeeda said.
However, when they reached Mecca, he told Saeeda that the conductor was having trouble getting them valid permits. The couple became disappointed because they thought they were going “by the book”. Saida said.
The last message he received from his mother said that the bus taking them to one of the main sites had not arrived, and that they had been walking for more than two hours. For the next few days, Saeeda tried to reach her people through telephone but was unsuccessful.
About a month ago, Saeeda learned from an American official that her name had been included in the list of the dead. The tourism operator did not respond to a request for contact Tuesday.
The death toll this hour highlighted the dangers of unregulated tour operators and smugglers around the world who take advantage of Muslims determined to make the journey to Mecca. Pilgrims who are not properly registered have less access to shelter and air conditioning.
The deaths also indicated a major failure of Saudi immigration and security procedures aimed at preventing unregistered pilgrims from reaching holy sites.
The Vuori couple both grew up in Sierra Leone, where they met as youngsters. Mr. Vuori first came to America to study. Ms. Vuori adopted, they commonly married.
She had two sons, a daughter and four granddaughters and each of them pursued a career in nursing before she retired. A few decades ago there was a rift in this couple. However, at the last hour, they got married once again in two ceremonies, one in the US and the other in Sierra Leone.
Ms Wuri had been planning to visit Saudi Arabia for some time, but postponed it so she could make the pilgrimage with her husband.
Friends and society participants described her as a spirited girl who was adamant about serving others. She helped prepare food drives and vaccination outreach campaigns in the early days of the COVID pandemic, and served on the African Diaspora Advisory Board in Prince George’s County, said C. Vincent Evenoge, chair of the board. She also volunteered for County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who is now running for the Senate.
“For her, it was not about a spotlight,” Mr. Evenoge said of Ms. Vuori. “It was just about service.”
National leaders described Shri Vuri as a completely happy political activist and entrepreneur. Tasleem Alghali, the imam of the Sierra Leone Muslim Jamaat Mosque in Hyattsville, MD, said he may come across as a peace-loving person, even shy, but he is passionate about “leading the youth to live their fullest lives.” Were interested in. Capability,” and remained active in Sierra Leone politics.
Upon reaching Mecca, the couple were still able to complete one of the earliest rituals of the Hajj, and their daughter said they were “so excited to see the Kaaba,” the cubic structure Muslims envision. Primary place of prayer.
She said she believed her people were filled with joy in their final days. “They died doing what they wanted to do,” Saeeda said.
On Tuesday, the country was also mourning 61-year-old Fatmata Koroma, who society members said died during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. She and her husband, also from Sierra Leone, lived in Bowie, MD, for decades and worshiped at the same mosque as the Voorhees.
Ms Koroma’s daughter, Vumu Jalloh, said her mother was curious about the shuttle. “For every devout Muslim, this is their dream,” said Ms. Jalloh, 24. “That was something she was really excited about.”
In messages to her community in the days before her death, Ms Koroma sent happy notes and upbeat photographs. However, he also shared troubling news about confidential adjudications and concerns about obtaining the proper forms, his daughter said.
The Society learned of Ms Koroma’s death from US authorities on 16 June. They have been invited to travel to Saudi Arabia to await his burial.
Vivian Nereim And Imad Meke Contributed to the reporting.
