Death toll on Hajj pilgrimage rises to at least 1,300 amid extreme heat

CAIRO (AP) — More than 1,300 people were killed everywhere. Hajj pilgrimage of this speed in Saudi Arabia The Saudi government announced on Sunday that authorities had encountered the last extreme temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom.

Saudi Minister of State Fahd bin Abdurrahman al-Jalazel said 83% of the 1,301 deaths were unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances in soaring temperatures to complete hajj rituals in and around the holy city. Maize,

Speaking to state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV, the minister said 95 pilgrims were being treated in hospitals, with some of them being airlifted for treatment in the capital Riyadh. He said the identification process was behind schedule as most of the dead pilgrims had incorrect identification documents.

The dead were buried in Mecca, he said, without giving any details.

More than 660 Egyptians were among the dead. However, according to two Cairo officials, all 31 of them were unauthorized pilgrims. Egypt has canceled the licenses of 16 exit companies helping unauthorized pilgrims exit Saudi Arabia, the government said.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not have a license to brief journalists, said several dead were reported at the crisis complex in Mecca’s al-Muaysem group. Egypt sent more than 50,000 licensed pilgrims to Saudi Arabia at this pace.

The Saudi government cracked down on unauthorized pilgrims and expelled hundreds of people. However, many people, especially Egyptians, managed to reach holy sites in and around Mecca, some at the Bedrock. Unlike licensed pilgrims, they had bad hotels to go back to to escape the scorching heat.

In a comment on Saturday, the Egyptian executive noted that the 16 exit companies did not lend adequate services and products to pilgrims. It noted that those companies illegally facilitated the exit of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia by using visas that do not allow holders to leave Mecca.

The federal government also said that officials of the companies had been referred to the Society Prosecutor for investigation.

According to the state-owned Al-Ahram daily, some exit companies and Hajj travel operators offered Saudi tourist visas to Egyptian Hajj candidates, a violation of Saudi laws that require special visas for pilgrims. The newspaper said those companies left pilgrims traveling to Mecca and other holy sites in limbo in the extreme heat.

The dead included 165 pilgrims from Indonesia, 98 from India and dozens from Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Malaysia, according to an Associated Press tally. Two American voters were also reported killed.

Although the AP could not independently confirm the cause of death, some countries, such as Jordan and Tunisia, blamed the rising heat. AP correspondents saw pilgrims fainting from the intense heat, especially on the second and third days of the hajj. Some vomited and fell down.

Traditionally, deaths are not uncommon on the Hajj, which sometimes sees more than 2 million people travel to Saudi Arabia for the five-day pilgrimage. The history of pilgrimage is also marked by undoubtedly devastating stampedes and epidemics.

However, this speed number was surprisingly high, suggesting excellent cases.

More than 2,400 pilgrims were killed in a stampede in Meena in 2015According to the AP report, it is the deadliest such incident of a collision with a pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia has never released a total death toll from the stampede. A crane broke into pieces from a distance in the beautiful mosque of Mecca. Earlier too, 111 people had died at the same speed.

The second deadliest incident on the Hajj was the 1990 stampede in which 1,426 people were killed.

According to the Saudis, during the Hajj period of this month, daily maximum temperatures in Mecca and holy sites in and around the city ranged between 46 °C (117 °F) and 49 °C (120 °F). Nationwide Center for Meteorology. Some people fainted while trying to do it symbolic stoning of the devil,

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. According to the Saudi Hajj Government, more than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, including more than 1.6 million from 22 countries and approximately 222,000 Saudi voters and citizens.

Saudi Arabia has spent billions on social monitoring and safety measures for people taking part in the annual five-day pilgrimage, although the wide choice of participants makes it difficult to ensure their safety.

The exchange of circumstances may make the danger even better. A 2019 report by experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that even if the region succeeds in mitigating the worst effects of climate change, the Hajj could be at risk from temperatures exceeding the “extreme danger threshold” from 2047 to 2052. Can be held, and from 2079 to 2086.

Islam follows the lunar calendar, so the Hajj comes about 11 days earlier than usual. By 2029, the Hajj will take place in April, and there will be several winter years thereafter, when temperatures will be lower.