At least 60 Jordanians have died, according to diplomats, an increase from the official count of 41 reported by Amman earlier on Tuesday.
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Jerusalem:
Diplomatic sources revealed on Tuesday that at least 550 pilgrims perished
during the hajj, highlighting the severe conditions of the pilgrimage, which
again took place under extreme heat this year.
Among the
deceased, 323 were Egyptians, most of whom succumbed to heat-related illnesses,
according to two Arab diplomats managing their countries' responses. "All
of the Egyptians died from heat except for one, who suffered fatal injuries
during a minor crowd incident," one diplomat disclosed, citing information
from the morgue in Mecca's Al-Muaisem neighborhood.
The
diplomats also reported that at least 60 Jordanians had died, an increase from
the official count of 41 earlier provided by Amman. This brings the total
number of reported deaths from multiple countries to 577, according to an AFP
tally.
The total
number of deceased at the Al-Muaisem morgue stands at 550, according to the
diplomats.
The hajj,
one of Islam's five pillars, is mandatory for all Muslims with the means to
undertake it at least once. A Saudi study published last month indicated that
the pilgrimage is increasingly impacted by climate change, with temperatures in
the region rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade.
On Monday,
temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) at the Grand Mosque
in Mecca, according to the Saudi national meteorology center.
Heat stress
Earlier on
Tuesday, Egypt's foreign ministry announced that it was working with Saudi
authorities to locate Egyptians who went missing during the hajj. While the
ministry confirmed "a certain number of deaths," it did not specify
if Egyptians were among them.
Saudi
authorities have treated over 2,000 pilgrims for heat stress but have not
updated the figure since Sunday nor provided details on fatalities. Last year,
at least 240 pilgrims, mostly Indonesians, were reported dead.**
AFP
journalists observed pilgrims in Mina, outside Mecca, pouring water over their
heads and receiving cold drinks and quickly melting ice cream from volunteers
to stay cool.
Saudi
officials had advised pilgrims to use umbrellas, drink ample water, and avoid
sun exposure during peak heat hours. However, many hajj rituals, such as the
prayers on Mount Arafat, require extended outdoor presence during the day.
Some
pilgrims reported seeing lifeless bodies along the roadsides and occasionally overwhelmed
ambulance services.
Approximately
1.8 million pilgrims participated in this year's hajj, with 1.6 million coming
from abroad, as per Saudi authorities.
Unregistered pilgrims
Every year,
tens of thousands of pilgrims try to undertake the hajj without official visas
due to the high costs, exposing themselves to greater risks since they cannot
utilize the air-conditioned facilities provided by Saudi authorities.
One diplomat indicated that the Egyptian death toll was exacerbated by many unregistered Egyptian pilgrims. "Irregular pilgrims caused significant disruption in the Egyptian camps, leading to service failures," an Egyptian official overseeing the hajj mission stated. "These pilgrims lacked food, water, and air conditioning for extended periods."
They died from heat exposure due to a lack of shelter. Earlier this month, Saudi officials cleared hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca ahead of the hajj.
Other countries reporting hajj-related deaths this year include Indonesia, Iran, and Senegal, though most have not specified how many deaths were heat-related.
Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdul Rahman Al-Jalajel announced on Tuesday that the health plans for the hajj had been successfully implemented, preventing major outbreaks of disease and other public health threats, as reported by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Health officials provided over 5,800 virtual consultations, primarily for heat-related illnesses, allowing for prompt intervention and mitigating the potential for a surge in cases, SPA reported.