More than 1300 people have died at this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, in Saudi Arabia due to soaring temperatures. The pilgrims were exposed to extremely high temperatures exceeding 51 degrees. Saudi Arabia’s health minister Fahd Bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel said that out of all fatalities, 83% were unauthorized pilgrims who walked their way to the pilgrimage to perform rituals around the holy city of Mecca. 658 deaths reported were those of Egyptians, meanwhile, 165 were from Indonesia, 98 from India, dozens more from Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Malaysia along with 2 US citizens.
Health Minister Issues Statements Clarifying That All Pilgrims Recevied Medical Support
Many of the deceased were elderly or were suffering from chronic diseases, making them more vulnerable to extreme heat. The health minister clarified that the pilgrims, even unauthorized were given medical facilities and care. Although their identification process had been delayed initially, the identification process has now been completed. Many complaints have been passed on this year’s Hajj pilgrimage suggesting poor infrastructure and organization. Initially, many journalists noticed people fainting and vomiting due to heatstroke.
Saudi Authorities Response And The Egyptian Government’s Statement
Reportedly, the Saudi authorities arranged 1600 personnel with medical units, and 30 rapid response units for heatstroke cases. However, many unauthorized pilgrims could not receive complete medical support leading to a high death toll. The Egyptian government gave a statement saying that 16 travel agencies illegally facilitated the travel of many pilgrims to Saudi Arabia using visas that were not considered valid. The government of Egypt took action by revoking the licenses of these agencies. Deaths at the Hajj pilgrimage are not uncommon because of huge populations visiting the pilgrimage from all over the world, along with a lack of matching infrastructure standards. Over the years, stampedes and epidemics have affected many at the five-day pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars on crowd control at the pilgrimage but a high population makes it difficult to navigate safety measures for every person.