Over 1,000 pilgrims died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, officials say

Samy Magdy, Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — More than 1,000 group died during this year’s Hajj visit successful Saudi Arabia arsenic nan religious faced utmost precocious temperatures astatine Islamic beatified sites successful nan godforsaken kingdom, officials said Sunday.

More than half of nan fatalities were group from Egypt, according to 2 officials successful Cairo. Egypt revoked nan licenses of 16 recreation agencies that helped unauthorized pilgrims recreation to Saudi Arabia, authorities said.

Saudi Arabia has not commented connected nan deaths during nan pilgrimage, which is required of each capable Muslim erstwhile successful their life.

The Egyptian authorities announced nan decease of 31 authorized pilgrims owed to chronic diseases during this year’s Hajj, but didn’t connection an charismatic tally for different pilgrims. Egypt sent much than 50,000 authorized pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year, nan authorities said.

However, a Cabinet charismatic said that astatine slightest 630 different Egyptians died during nan pilgrimage, pinch astir reported astatine nan Emergency Complex successful Mecca’s Al-Muaisem neighborhood. Confirming nan tally, an Egyptian diplomat said astir of nan dormant person been buried successful Saudi Arabia.

The officials said connected information of anonymity because they were not authorized to little journalists.

Saudi authorities cracked down connected unauthorized pilgrims, expelling tens of thousands of people. But many, mostly Egyptians, managed to scope beatified sites successful and astir Mecca, immoderate connected foot. Unlike authorized pilgrims, they had nary hotels to flight from nan scorching heat.

In its statement, nan authorities said nan 16 recreation agencies grounded to supply capable services for pilgrims. It said these agencies illegally facilitated nan recreation of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia utilizing visas that don’t let holders to recreation to Mecca.

The authorities besides said officials from nan companies person been referred to nan nationalist charismatic for investigations.

According to nan state-owned Al-Ahram daily, immoderate recreation agencies and Hajj travel operators sold Saudi tourer visas to Egyptian Hajj hopefuls, violating Saudi regulations which require exclusive visas for pilgrims. Those agencies near pilgrims successful limbo successful Mecca and nan beatified sites amid scorching heat, nan newspaper said.

The fatalities besides included 165 pilgrims from Indonesia, 98 from India and dozens much from Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Malaysia, according to an Associated Press tally. Two U.S. pilgrims were besides reported dead.

The AP could not independently corroborate nan causes of death, but immoderate countries for illustration Jordan and Tunisia blamed nan soaring heat. Saudi officials did not respond to questions seeking much information.

Associated Press journalists saw pilgrims fainting from nan scorching power during nan Hajj, particularly connected nan 2nd and 3rd days. Some vomited and collapsed.

Deaths are not uncommon astatine nan Hajj, which has seen astatine times complete 2 cardinal group recreation to Saudi Arabia for a five-day pilgrimage. The pilgrimage’s history has besides seen deadly stampedes and epidemics.

But this year’s tally was unusually high, suggesting exceptional circumstances.

In 2015 a stampede successful Mina killed complete 2,400 pilgrims, nan deadliest incident ever to onslaught nan pilgrimage, according to an AP count. Saudi Arabia has ne'er acknowledged nan afloat toll of nan stampede. A abstracted crane illness astatine Mecca’s Grand Mosque earlier nan aforesaid twelvemonth killed 111.

The second-deadliest incident astatine nan Hajj was a 1990 stampede that killed 1,426 people.

During this year’s Hajj period, regular precocious temperatures ranged betwixt 46 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) and 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) successful Mecca and ineffable sites successful and astir nan city, according to nan Saudi National Center for Meteorology. Some group fainted while trying to execute nan symbolic stoning of nan devil.

The Hajj, 1 of nan 5 pillars of Islam, is 1 of nan world’s largest belief gatherings. More than 1.83 cardinal Muslims performed nan Hajj successful 2024, including much than 1.6 cardinal from 22 countries, and astir 222,000 Saudi citizens and residents, according to nan Saudi Hajj authorities.

Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars connected crowd power and information measures for those attending nan yearly five-day pilgrimage, but nan sheer number of participants makes it difficult to guarantee their safety.

Climate alteration could make nan consequence moreover greater. A 2019 study by experts astatine nan Massachusetts Institute of Technology recovered that moreover if nan world succeeds successful mitigating nan worst effects of ambiance change, nan Hajj would beryllium held successful temperatures exceeding an “extreme threat threshold” from 2047 to 2052, and from 2079 to 2086.

Islam follows a lunar calendar, truthful nan Hajj comes astir 11 days earlier each year. By 2029, nan Hajj will hap successful April, and for respective years aft that it will autumn successful nan winter, erstwhile temperatures are milder.