Over 500 Hajj pilgrims died in Saudi’s Mecca due to severe heat

At least 550 pilgrims lost their lives during this year’s Hajj due to severe heat, Arab diplomats disclosed. The Saudi national meteorology center recorded temperatures soaring to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) at Mecca’s Grand Mosque on Monday.

The highest casualties were Egyptians, with 323 succumbing primarily to heat-related illnesses. According to a diplomat, “All of them (the Egyptians) died because of heat,” except for one who was fatally injured in a minor crowd crush. The total death toll was confirmed from Mecca’s Al-Muaisem neighborhood morgue.

Besides Egyptians, approximately 60 Jordanians also perished during the pilgrimage, contributing to a total reported death toll of 577 from various countries, as per AFP’s count. Diplomats reiterated that the Al-Muaisem morgue, among Mecca’s largest, recorded 550 deaths.

Saudi authorities reported treating over 2,000 pilgrims for heat stress, although updated figures on fatalities haven’t been released since Sunday.

Despite Saudi advisories urging pilgrims to use umbrellas, stay hydrated, and avoid sun exposure during peak heat, many Hajj rituals necessitate prolonged outdoor exposure. Witness accounts mentioned seeing motionless bodies along roadsides and overwhelmed ambulance services.

According to a recent Saudi study, the Hajj pilgrimage is increasingly affected by climate change, with temperatures in the ritual areas rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade.Saudi authorities reported that approximately 1.8 million pilgrims participated in the Hajj this year, with 1.6 million coming from overseas.Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims attempt to perform the Hajj without obtaining official visas in order to save money, which poses greater risks because these unofficial pilgrims cannot access air-conditioned facilities provided by Saudi authorities along the Hajj route.

An AFP interview with one diplomat on Tuesday indicated that the high number of unregistered Egyptian pilgrims significantly contributed to the Egyptian death toll.

Earlier this month, Saudi officials announced they had expelled hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca ahead of the Hajj.

Other countries such as Indonesia, Iran, and Senegal also reported deaths during this year’s Hajj.

(Inputs from agencies)