Riyadh: Saudi Arabia said that more than 1,300 pilgrims died during the Haj pilgrimage, which occurred amid intense heat, with most of the deceased lacking official permits. The deceased came from over 10 countries, including the United States, Indonesia and India, with some governments still updating their toll.
The tragic figure includes 98 Indian nationals who died of “natural causes” during the pilgrimage. “This year, 175,000 Indians have already visited Hajj. So far, we have lost 98 of our citizens. These deaths occurred due to natural illness, chronic illness, and old age. On the day of Arafat, six Indians died, and four died in accidents,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
The cause of death in most cases was heat-related. Temperatures in Mecca this year climbed as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Saudi Arabia’s national meteorological centre. Riyadh had not publicly commented on the deaths or provided its own toll until Sunday. On Friday, however, a senior Saudi official defended Riyadh’s response, saying: “The state did not fail, but there was a misjudgement on the part of people who did not appreciate the risks.”
The Saudi health minister, Fahd Al-Jalajel, described management of the hajj this year as “successful.” He said the health system “provided more than 465,000 specialised treatment services, including 141,000 services to those who didn’t obtain official authorisation to perform haj,” according to SPA.
Jalajel did not specify how many deaths Saudi officials attributed to heat. “The health system addressed numerous cases of heat stress this year, with some individuals still under care,” SPA reported. “Among the deceased were several elderly and chronically ill individuals.”
Saudi officials have said 1.8 million pilgrims took part this year, a similar number to last year, and that 1.6 million came from abroad. For the past several years the mainly outdoor rituals have fallen during the sweltering Saudi summer. The timing of the hajj moves forward about 11 days each year in the Gregorian calendar, meaning that next year it will take place earlier in June, potentially in cooler conditions.
The pilgrimage involves a series of rituals that take place in and around Mecca, over a period of five or six days. These include multiple circumambulations of the Kaaba, ritual traverses between the hills of Safa and Marwa, scaling and praying at Mount Arafat, where Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon, and the symbolic stoning of the devil in the valley of Mina.
