Religion

See The Numbers of Hajj Pilgrims and Died and got Missing in Saudi Arabia

Published by Tope Fakinlede on June 17th, 2024.

See The Numbers of Hajj Pilgrims and Died and got Missing in Saudi Arabia

By Gbenga Oloniniran

At least 19 pilgrims from Jordan and Iran have died during the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, as soaring temperatures grip the kingdom, authorities from both countries reported on Sunday.

Jordan’s foreign ministry stated that 14 Jordanian pilgrims died and 17 others are missing during the hajj rituals. The ministry later confirmed that the deaths were due to “sunstroke caused by the extreme heat wave.”

Separately, Pirhossein Koolivand, Chief of the Iranian Red Crescent, announced that five Iranian pilgrims had died in Mecca and Medina, though he did not specify the causes of death.

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is mandatory for all Muslims with the means to perform it at least once in their lifetime. This year, around 1.8 million Muslims are participating in the pilgrimage, enduring temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Many hajj rituals are conducted outdoors and on foot, posing significant challenges, especially for the elderly. While Saudi Arabia has not provided official information on fatalities, it has implemented various heat mitigation measures. These include climate-controlled areas, distribution of water, and advice to pilgrims on sun protection.

Two pilgrims from Kwara State in Nigeria, Salman Alade and Ayishat Ologele, were reported to have died in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Their deaths bring the total number of fatalities among Kwara pilgrims to four, following the earlier deaths of Saliu Mohammed and Hawawu Mohammed in Madinah.

During last year’s hajj, at least 240 pilgrims, many from Indonesia, died, with various countries reporting these figures without specifying causes of death. According to AFP, over 10,000 heat-related illnesses were recorded last year, with 10 percent being heat stroke cases.

A Saudi study indicated that regional temperatures are rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade, suggesting that worsening heat may be outpacing current mitigation efforts.