Hajj deaths 2024: Heatwave claims over 550 lives as temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius in Mecca
Hajj deaths 2024 due to heathwave
Hajj deaths 2024 News: Tragedies have marked this year's Hajj pilgrimage, as at least 550 pilgrims have died, primarily because of heat-related illnesses.
Speaking to news agency AFP, diplomats coordinating their countries' responses revealed that at least 323 of those who died were Egyptians.
Hajj Deaths in 2024
Citing a figure from the hospital morgue in the Al-Muaisem neighbourhood of Mecca, one of the diplomats said that "all of them (the Egyptians) died because of heat" except for one pilgrim who sustained fatal injuries during a minor crowd crush.
According to an official tally released on Tuesday (June 18), at least 60 Jordanians have also died.
Diplomats reported that the total number of dead bodies at the morgue in Al-Muaisem, one of the biggest in Mecca, was 550. As per AFP estimates, the deaths of pilgrims from various countries total 577.
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Other countries to report deaths during the hajj this year include Indonesia, Iran, and Senegal. However, most countries have yet to specify how many deaths were heat-related.
Last year — 2023 — 240 pilgrims were reported dead by various countries.
Heatwave, climate change and Hajj 2024
This year, according to Saudi authorities, around 1.8 million pilgrims took part in the hajj — 1.6 million of them from abroad.
They faced extreme temperatures, which on Monday (June 17) reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.24 degrees Fahrenheit) at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, as reported by the Saudi National Meteorology Centre.
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According to a Saudi study published last year, driven by climate change, temperatures in the area where rituals are performed were rising 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) each decade.
Saudi officials, as per AFP, had advised pilgrims to use umbrellas, drink plenty of water and avoid exposure to the sun during the hottest hours of the day. However, with many hajj rituals, including the prayers on Mount Arafat which took place on Saturday (June 15)involvingbeing outdoors for hours in the daytime, avoiding the heat wasn't possible. Volunteers also handed pilgrimscold drinks and fast-melting chocolate ice cream to help them keep cool.
