Saudi Arabia did not provide any information on deaths. (Representative)
Amman, Jordan:
At least 19 Jordanian and Iranian pilgrims have died during the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, officials from their countries said on Sunday, as temperatures rise in the kingdom.
“14 Jordanian pilgrims died and another 17 went missing” while performing hajj rituals, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, without specifying the cause of death.
The head of the Iranian Red Crescent, Pirhossein Koolivand, said that “five Iranian pilgrims have lost their lives so far in Mecca and Medina during this year’s hajj”, also without saying how they died.
The hajj, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims with the means must perform it at least once.
Temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during the annual pilgrimage in which some 1.8 million Muslims are taking part this year.
Many of the rituals are performed outdoors and on foot, creating challenges especially among the elderly.
Saudi Arabia did not provide any information on deaths.
But the kingdom has implemented heat mitigation measures, including air-conditioned areas, distributing water and advising pilgrims on how to protect themselves from the sun.
During last year’s hajj, at least 240 people – many from Indonesia – died, according to figures announced by several countries that also did not specify the causes of death.
More than 10,000 heat-related illnesses were recorded last year, 10% of them heatstroke, a Saudi official told AFP this week.
A Saudi study stated that regional temperatures were rising by 0.4ºC every decade and that the worsening of heat may be exceeding mitigation measures.
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