June 19th 2024.
According to officials, the scorching heat at the Islamic holy sites in Saudi Arabia has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people during this year's Hajj pilgrimage. As families try to locate and claim the bodies of their loved ones, the exact death toll remains unknown and the Saudi government has yet to comment on the situation or provide any explanation for the deaths.
At the Emergency Complex in the Al-Muaisem neighborhood of Mecca, a large number of people have gathered to seek information about their missing family members. Reports circulating online have suggested that at least 550 people have died during the five-day Hajj. A medic, who spoke anonymously to The Associated Press, confirmed that the names on the list appeared to be genuine, and another official estimated that there were at least 600 bodies at the facility.
Unfortunately, deaths are not uncommon during the Hajj, which draws in over 2 million people to Saudi Arabia every year. Previous incidents such as stampedes and epidemics have occurred throughout the pilgrimage's history. Many of the pilgrims come from low-income countries, with little access to healthcare, making them vulnerable to communicable diseases. Additionally, the elderly with preexisting health conditions are also at risk. However, the unusually high number of deaths this year suggests that something else may have contributed to the fatalities.
Several countries, including Jordan and Tunisia, have reported deaths due to the extreme heat that has swept across the holy sites in Mecca. Temperatures reached a scorching 47 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, causing some pilgrims to faint while performing the symbolic stoning of the devil. At the Grand Mosque in Mecca, temperatures reached a staggering 51.8 degrees Celsius on Monday, but fortunately, most pilgrims had already left for Mina by then.
Unfortunately, many pilgrims, including Egyptians, have lost track of their loved ones in the crowded and sweltering conditions. In 2024, over 1.83 million Muslims performed the Hajj, including more than 1.6 million pilgrims from 22 countries and around 222,000 Saudi citizens and residents, according to Saudi authorities.
At the medical complex in Mecca, a heart-wrenching scene unfolded as an Egyptian man collapsed upon hearing his mother's name among the deceased. He cried for some time before angrily calling a travel agent and accusing them of abandoning his mother. The security at the complex was tight, with officials reading out the names and nationalities of the dead. Those who claimed to be related to the deceased were allowed to enter and identify the bodies.
The Associated Press was unable to verify the cause of death for the bodies at the complex, as Saudi officials did not respond to requests for more information. The Al Saud ruling family, who hold a significant influence in the Muslim world, have taken on the responsibility of managing Islam's holiest sites, including the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
Despite spending billions of dollars on crowd control and safety measures, ensuring the safety of the millions of pilgrims who attend the Hajj remains a difficult task. Climate change may further exacerbate the risks, as a 2019 study by experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology predicted that by 2047-2052 and 2079-2086, the Hajj would take place in temperatures that exceed the "extreme danger threshold."
Due to the lunar calendar followed by Islam, the dates of the Hajj change every year, with the pilgrimage occurring 11 days earlier each year. In 2030, the Hajj will take place in April, and over the next few years, it will fall during the winter months when temperatures are milder.
The deadliest incident to ever occur during the Hajj was a stampede in Mina in 2015, which claimed the lives of over 2400 pilgrims, according to the Associated Press. The Saudi government has never officially acknowledged the full death toll of the stampede. In the same year, a crane collapse at the Grand Mosque in Mecca killed 111 people, making it the second-deadliest incident in the history of the Hajj. The deadliest incident prior to 2015 was a stampede in 1990, which claimed 1426 lives.
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