The pilgrimage season in Saudi Arabia is in full swing, and like every year, the crowding and heat are taking a toll on the masses of Muslims who come to the Hijaz. More than 2,000 pilgrims suffered heat stroke during their visit to holy sites in Mecca, a Saudi official said Thursday, after temperatures soared to 48 degrees Celsius.
More than 1.8 million Muslims have come to observe the Hajj – one of the main commandments in Islam – at the holy sites in Mecca. The ceremonies themselves take place under the scorching sun of the Saudi desert. Despite the cancellation of the age limit imposed due to the COVID-<> pandemic, this year many pilgrims were older people.
Unfathomable heat: this is how pilgrims are cooled to Mecca
This week, Muslims also mark Eid al-Adha, one of whose main commandments is the pilgrimage to Mecca. A Saudi official said 1,700 people suffered heat stroke on Thursday. 287 other pilgrims had suffered sunstroke even earlier. The official advised visitors to stay in the shade and drink plenty of water.
While authorities have not provided official information on sunstroke fatalities, at least 230 people – mostly from Indonesia – died during the pilgrimage. This is according to information from various countries, which did not specify the cause of death.
According to Indonesia's consulate, at least 209 Indonesians have died during the Hajj this year. However, the Indonesian consul in Jeddah stressed to the British Guardian website: "It is not accurate to say that many Indonesian pilgrims died due to heat stroke. The circumstances of death were mainly due to heart and respiratory diseases." Still, the consul admitted that some pilgrims "fainted" because of the heat during the long visit.
Meanwhile, the Arab media prominently reported on the story of a pilgrim from Iran at a fairly advanced age of 114 years. Iran's Fars news agency reported that he died of a heart attack. Ten other Iranians who arrived in Saudi Arabia died during the Hajj. Apart from Iran and Indonesia, pilgrims in Morocco and Algeria were also reported to have died during the visit.
Against the backdrop of the Hajj season, an unusual event occurred earlier this week in the city of Jeddah. The Saudi News Agency reported that a suspect stopped with a vehicle in front of the U.S. consulate and pulled out a firearm. As a result, an exchange of fire developed between him and the security personnel at the scene, at the end of which he was killed. One of the security guards – a foreign worker from Nepal – was critically wounded and died of his wounds. Against this background, the authorities announced an investigation into the circumstances of the incident. The U.S. State Department said there were no U.S. casualties and the consulate was in contact with security officials.
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