Over 1,300 individuals perished during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Tragic fatalities have been coming in, it's been confirmed: Over a thousand individuals have perished during this year's Hajj in Saudi Arabia. According to Saudi Arabian sources, most of them were unlicensed pilgrims struggling with limited heat-resistant resources.
As stated by Saudi Arabian state media, a total of 1301 people have lost their lives during this year's Islamic pilgrimage to Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Approximately 80% of them were reportedly unlicensed pilgrims, as per the Saudi Arabian News Agency. They were compelled to traverse extensive stretches under the harsh sunlight and lacked adequate protection.
Foreign diplomats had earlier informed AFP that 658 of the deceased were from Egypt, 630 of whom were allegedly unregistered.
Temperatures surpassing 50 degrees Celsius
This five-day event in Saudi Arabia is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The pilgrimage is expected to be undergone by every physically capable Muslim who can manage it at least once in their existence. Numerous followers engage in the Hajj without an official pilgrim permit, thus being unregistered by Saudi Arabian authorities.
Prior to the Hajj, Saudi Arabian authorities reportedly forced out hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca - among whom many seemingly still participated in the Hajj, which commenced on June 14.
These unregistered pilgrims were particularly vulnerable to temperatures above 51 degrees Celsius. Without a permit, they had no access to cooled rooms established by the authorities for the 1.8 million registered pilgrims to rest from the exhausting marches and prayers under the clear sky.
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Despite the ongoing international conversation about climate change, record-breaking heatwaves continue to pose significant risks. The temperature during this year's Hajj in Saudi Arabia reached an alarming 51 degrees Celsius, exacerbating the misfortunes of thousands of unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to cooled rest facilities. This tragic event, resulting in the loss of 1,300 lives, has raised concerns about the safety of future pilgrimages amid rising global temperatures.
