More than 1,300 Hajis died in Mecca due to extreme heat

As per Saudi Authorities, more than 1300 Hajis have died in Mecca due to an extreme heat wave ranging in temperatures from 45 degrees to 49 degrees centigrade.

Authorities also claim that almost 83% of the Hajis who died this year are from Egypt and reached Mecca after taking long walks in this scorching heat.

Here are the key points about the deaths of Hajis in Mecca.

• Over 1,300 people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to extremely high temperatures.
• Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel stated that 83% of the fatalities were unauthorized pilgrims.
• Unauthorized pilgrims, mostly from Egypt, walked long distances in high temperatures without proper accommodations.
• 95 pilgrims are being treated in hospitals, with some airlifted to Riyadh.
• Many deceased had no identification documents, delaying the identification process.
• More than 660 Egyptians were among the dead, with the majority being unauthorized pilgrims.
• Egypt revoked the licenses of 16 travel agencies that facilitated unauthorized pilgrimages.
• Unauthorized pilgrims reached holy sites despite Saudi authorities’ crackdown.
• Fatalities also included pilgrims from Indonesia, India, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Malaysia, and two US citizens.

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• High temperatures in Mecca ranged from 46 to 49 degrees Celsius, causing many to faint.
• The Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars, saw over 1.83 million participants this year.
• Historical incidents at Hajj include a 2015 stampede that killed over 2,400 pilgrims and a 1990 stampede that killed 1,426 people.