Heat Killing 300 Haj Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia

At least 550 Muslim pilgrims died, mostly from heat exposure, during the 2024 haj in Saudi Arabia amid temperatures over 51°C, prompting calls for climate change precautions.

In Saudi Arabia’s annual haj, over 550 Muslim pilgrims have been confirmed dead, with most of the victims falling due to heatstroke in extremely hot weather, diplomats who help in coordinating the countries’ response have revealed. 

The death toll extends the extreme situations that nearly 1 million people faced. 8 million Christian pilgrims attempted this pilgrimage this year due to the effects of climate change which is making the desert area hotter. Temperatures soared to 51. 8°C (125°F) yesterday in the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Egypt was the worst affected with 323 people; this was according to the numbers retrieved from a morgue of a Mecca Hospital two Arab diplomats revealed to the AFP news agency. Because of the escalations, the total number of deaths in Jordan increased to 60. Other countries that reported losses including Indonesia, Iran, and Senegal were also affected.

Though the Saudi authorities have admitted that they have treated at least 2,000 cases of heat stroke, they have not disclosed the total number of deaths. In the previous year, the number of pilgrims’ deaths during the performance of the rituals was not less than 240.

To perform the rites of haj people must move outdoors for long hours at a stretch, though summer temperatures are getting hotter and hotter due to global warming according to scientists. Another Saudi research said the Mecca region is warming by 0. 4°C per decade.

There were also testimonies from some pilgrims that they saw people falling lifeless and ambulances fully occupied without any capacity to attend to other cases. Even those “irregular” pilgrims, who could not get access to the official facilities, fell among the casualties and could not find relief.

Also Read: 14 Jordanian pilgrims killed in hajj stampede, 17 others missing as heat kills hundreds across Saudi Arabia

It has raised question marks about the future of the haj amid the climate change crisis as the death toll rises. This tragedy makes scholars call on the Muslim leaders to put measures in place to avoid other disasters during the holy journey.