It is reported that a number of pilgrims died due to the extreme heat. Currently, the number of cases has exceeded 1,000, most of which are Egyptians.
Foreign news agencies reported that the death toll due to extreme temperatures during the Hajj season in Saudi Arabia this year exceeded 1,000 people, and more than half of the victims were unregistered pilgrims.
An Arab diplomat said that as of June 23, 58 people from Egypt had died. The total number of Egyptian deaths now stands at 658, including 630 unregistered pilgrims.
There are currently about 10 countries that have reported the same. 1,081 people died while performing the Hajj, one of five basic Islamic rituals that every Muslim must perform at least once in their life, and this year a greater number of pilgrims took part, with a total of 1.8 million people.
The National Center of Meteorology in Saudi Arabia reported that the maximum temperature reached 51.8 degrees Celsius this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
A Saudi study issued last month said that temperatures in those regions increased at a rate of 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade.
The problems that occur every year are: Tens of thousands of pilgrims try to participate in Hajj rituals through illegal channels. This is because they cannot afford the expensive official licensing fees.
According to Saudi officials, it has evacuated hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca this month. But it appears that many people will still be able to participate in the main ritual, which began on June 14.
Authorities say this group of unregistered pilgrims is more at risk from the heat. Because if there is no official license, they will not be able to access the air-conditioned areas designated for pilgrims to cool down.
“Unregistered pilgrims may feel exhausted after being pursued by security forces before Arafat Day,” the Arab diplomat said. “They are exhausting them,” Arafat said, referring to the outdoor prayer ceremony held on June 15.
This diplomat said: The main cause of death among Egyptian pilgrims was heat. This causes complications related to high blood pressure and other problems.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated this, and Egyptian officials travel to hospitals to receive information and help Egyptian pilgrims obtain medical care. “But there are many Egyptian citizens who are not registered in the database to participate in the Hajj. It takes twice as much effort and longer to find missing people and contact their relatives.
Pakistan and Indonesia also confirmed an increase in the number of deaths among their citizens. So far, 58 Pakistani pilgrims have died out of 150,000 participants, while 183 Indonesian pilgrims have died out of 240,000 participants.
“I think given the number of people and taking into account the weather conditions this is normal,” the diplomat said.
There were also deaths from Malaysia, India, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, Sudan, and the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Compiled from Watchman
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