1000 PLUS FATALITIES DURING HAJJ PILGRIMAGE IN SAUDIA ARABIA THIS YEAR

 

1,000 plus people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as pilgrims endured extreme heat at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, officials reported on Sunday.

Over half of the fatalities were Egyptians, according to two Cairo officials. In response, Egypt revoked the licenses of 16 travel agencies that facilitated unauthorized pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia, authorities stated.

Saudi Arabia has not commented on the deaths during the pilgrimage, which is a religious obligation for every able Muslim at least once in their lifetime.

The Egyptian government reported the death of 31 authorized pilgrims due to chronic illnesses during this year’s Hajj, but did not provide an official count for other pilgrims.

However, a Cabinet official disclosed that at least 630 other Egyptians died during the pilgrimage, with most fatalities occurring at the Emergency Complex in Mecca’s Al-Muaisem neighborhood. An Egyptian diplomat confirmed this figure, noting that most of the deceased were buried in Saudi Arabia.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Saudi authorities cracked down on unauthorized pilgrims, expelling tens of thousands. Despite this, many, primarily Egyptians, managed to reach holy sites in and around Mecca, some on foot. Unlike authorized pilgrims, they lacked hotel accommodations to escape the intense heat.

The government stated that the 16 travel agencies failed to provide adequate services and illegally facilitated pilgrimages using visas that did not permit travel to Mecca. Officials from these companies have been referred to the public prosecutor for investigation.

The fatalities also included 165 pilgrims from Indonesia, 98 from India, and dozens more from Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Malaysia, as per Press reports. Two U.S. pilgrims were also reported dead. Many countries attributed the fatalities to the extreme heat waves. Pilgrims were fainting from the heat during the Hajj, especially on the second and third days, with some collapsing and vomiting.

While deaths are not uncommon at the Hajj, which can attract over 2 million participants, this year’s death toll was unusually high, indicating exceptional circumstances.

A 2015 stampede in Mina during the Hajj killed over 2,400 pilgrims, the deadliest incident in the pilgrimage's history, according to an AP count. Saudi Arabia has never fully acknowledged the death toll of that stampede. A separate crane collapse at Mecca’s Grand Mosque earlier that year killed 111.

The second-deadliest incident at the Hajj was a 1990 stampede that claimed 1,426 lives.

During this year’s Hajj, daily high temperatures ranged from 46°C (117°F) to 49°C (120°F) in Mecca and nearby sacred sites, according to the Saudi National Center for Meteorology. Some pilgrims fainted while performing the symbolic stoning of the devil.

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. In 2024, more than 1.83 million Muslims performed the Hajj, including over 1.6 million from 22 countries, and around 222,000 Saudi citizens and residents, according to Saudi Hajj authorities.

Saudi Arabia has invested billions in crowd control and safety measures for the annual five-day pilgrimage, but the large number of participants makes ensuring safety challenging.

Climate change could exacerbate these risks. A 2019 study predicted that even with successful climate change mitigation, the Hajj would experience temperatures exceeding an "extreme danger threshold" from 2047 to 2052, and from 2079 to 2086.

Islam follows a lunar calendar, causing the Hajj to occur 11 days earlier each year. By 2029, the Hajj will fall in April, and for several years afterward, it will occur during winter months when temperatures are milder.

-Lavanya Yadav@Wondernext