Saudi Arabia on Sunday confirmed that as many as 1,301 people died during the Hajj pilgrimage, with “numerous cases” due to heat stress. According to CNN report unauthorized trips accounted for over four out of five of the deaths.
In a statement, the Saudi government said, “The health system addressed numerous cases of heat stress this year, with some individuals still under care. Regrettably, the number of mortalities reached 1,301.” The statement noted that 83% of those who died were “unauthorized to perform Hajj” and “walked long distances under direct sunlight, without adequate shelter or comfort.” It added that the deceased included “several elderly and chronically ill individuals,” and that the families of all the dead had been identified.
The temperature in Mecca rose to a record-setting 125 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday. Extreme heat has been cited as the main reason behind hundreds of deaths and injuries reported during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
Each pilgrim has to acquire one of the 1.8 million available licenses to legally access Mecca. These licenses can cost several thousand US dollars. Unlicensed pilgrims usually don’t travel in organized tour buses with air conditioning or easy access to water and food supplies.
The Saudi government suggested that the unauthorized nature of many of the trips contributed to the delay in issuing an official death toll, making tough to identify. “Identification completed, despite the initial lack of personal information or identification documents. Proper processes were followed for identification, burial, and honoring the deceased, with death certificates provided,” read the statement.
After the announcement from Saudi Arabia, Egyptian government’s declared to revoke the licenses of 16 Hajj tourism firms involved in organizing illegal pilgrimages to Mecca and to refer the companies’ managers to the public prosecutor. This decision came after Arab diplomats last week told AFP that Egyptians accounted for 658 deaths and 630 of them were unregistered pilgrims.
The Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, offered his “sincere condolences and sympathy” to the families of the deceased pilgrims and pledged to provide them with necessary support.
Saudi Arabia’s announcement also noted that Hajj permits are given to nations based on a quota system. The cost of these licenses drives many pilgrims to attempt to access the site illegally.
The 2024 Hajj pilgrimage fell during the scorching temperatures of the Saudi summer. The timing of the Hajj pilgrimage is based on the Islamic lunar calendar.
A Saudi official gave AFP a partial count of 577 deaths for the two busiest days of Hajj: June 15, when pilgrims gathered for prayers on Mount Arafat, and June 16, during the “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina. The official defended Riyadh’s response, stating, “The state did not fail, but there was a misjudgment on the part of people who did not appreciate the risks.”
Saudi Health Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel described this year’s Hajj management as “successful,” noting that the health system “provided more than 465,000 specialized treatment services, including 141,000 services to those who didn’t obtain official authorization to perform Hajj.”
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims with the means must complete at least once in their lives. Saudi officials stated that 1.8 million pilgrims participated this year, with 1.6 million coming from abroad.
According to a 2019 study by the journal Geophysical Research Letters, due to climate change, heat stress for Hajj pilgrims will exceed the “extreme danger threshold” from 2047 to 2052 and 2079 to 2086, with increasing frequency and intensity as the century progresses.
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