577 Pilgrims Die in Mecca Due to Heat

In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, pilgrims have died due to extreme heat. AFP reports this information, citing its own sources.

In total, 577 individuals have died, of which 323 are Egyptians and 60 are Jordanians. An Arab diplomat informed the publication that "the Egyptians died due to the heat, except for one who sustained fatal injuries during a stampede." He added that the total number was obtained from the morgue of the hospital in the Al-Mu'aisem district of Mecca.

According to the national meteorological center of the country, on Monday, the temperature at the Grand Mosque in Mecca reached 51.8 degrees Celsius.

According to Saudi authorities, approximately 1.8 million pilgrims have participated in this year’s Hajj, of which 1.6 million came from abroad. A day earlier, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that 14 citizens of the country died from heatstroke, and another 17 are considered missing, with search efforts ongoing. Additionally, the Iranian Red Crescent confirmed the death of five Iranian pilgrims without specifying the causes.

The five-day pilgrimage centers around Mecca and Medina. According to the official Saudi press agency, 225 cases of heat stroke have been recorded today at the medical center near Mount Arafat. The pilgrimage will conclude today, June 19.

In response to the effects of the heat, Saudi authorities have claimed to have created numerous climate-controlled areas to mitigate its impact. Water has been distributed, and pilgrims have been advised on how to protect themselves from the sun and heat.

The Saudi Ministry of Health has also recommended drinking water more frequently and avoiding outdoor exposure during the hottest hours of the day, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Last year, at least 240 people died during the pilgrimage, while one of the deadliest disasters during Hajj occurred in 2015, when more than 2,000 pilgrims lost their lives in a fatal stampede.