Under the open sun of Saudi Arabia, thousands of people walk for several days towards Mecca: it is the Haji, the annual pilgrimage of Muslims to the holy city. But the celebration is marked by 14 dead due to high temperatures.
Jordanian citizens went to Mecca for religious celebrations, but ended up die from heat stroke. The news was announced on Sunday night by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through a statement, where it can be read that the Jordanian consulate is already coordinating with “the competent Saudi authorities, the processes of burial of the pilgrims and transportation of people’s bodies. “
Saudi authorities also reported the disappearance of 17 other pilgrims from Jordan, for which search and rescue actions are already being carried out.
“Heat stress is the biggest challenge“said Mohammed Al-Abdulaali, spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Health, quoted by AP. According to Al-Abdulaali, 2,760 people had to be helped due to heat stroke on Sunday alone. Saudi authorities have put in place measures to deal with extreme temperatures, such as air-conditioned areas and water distribution. But they leave warnings for pilgrims to stay hydrated and avoid sun exposure between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
On Sunday, Temperatures in western Saudi Arabia – where Mecca is located – reached 47ºC. Most Haji ceremonies are held outdoors, making the work of authorities difficult. It was on this day that one of the central acts of the celebration took place: the “Stoning of the Devil”, in which the faithful throw seven stones against three pillars, which symbolize the devil.
Reports of more deaths are also coming from Iran. The Iranian Red Crescent, cited by The Guardian, claims that five Iranian citizens were also killed during Haji. However, they did not confirm that they were also due to heat.
Despite physical difficulties, pilgrims speak of spiritual satisfaction. “It is physically exhausting, but it is very spiritually charged,” says a Canadian pilgrim quoted by the BBC. Another, Egyptian, quoted by AP, says that “Thank God, (the process) was happy and good. Nobody wants more than this.”
Haji is one of the five pillars of Islam: all Muslims, who have the financial means and physical ability to do so, must perform the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. This year, 1.83 million Muslims participate in the ritual. According to the Saudi minister, Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah, this is a figure slightly lower than the 1.9 million pilgrims registered in 2023.
But this year’s 14 deaths are not the first disaster to hit the holiday.. Last year 240 people died, many of them also because of the heat. And in 2015, 2,070 people were crushed to death by the crowd. The succession of disasters during Haji led the Saudi authorities to rethink some of the events, making them more symbolic, to avoid excessively large concentrations.
Source: Observadora
