Saudi Arabia said more than 1,300 pilgrims died during the annual hajj pilgrimage, as temperatures during the gathering reached the highest level in two decades.
The majority of fatalities were unregistered pilgrims, who were not authorized to participate and walked long distances without adequate shelter, the official Saudi Press Agency said.
Many of the dead were elderly and chronically ill, it said.
Photo: AFP
GLOBAL RISKS
The fatalities put a fresh spotlight on the threat from a hotter world and the risk it poses for large gatherings. Heat-related deaths have been reported in India, wildfires are forcing evacuation of people on Greece, parts of the US are in the middle of a heat wave and there are fears that rising temperatures might increasingly make some parts of the Middle East difficult to live.
In Saudi Arabia, temperatures reached about 52oC during the five-day pilgrimage that ended on Tuesday last week, the highest level recorded during hajj in 20 years, data from the Saudi National Center for Meteorology said.
More than 1.8 million worshippers participated in this year’s hajj.
Saudi authorities had earlier cautioned about “the significant rise in temperatures, which poses a threat to the health of pilgrims.”
The Ministry of Health later urged people to use umbrellas to prevent sun exposure. More than 2,700 cases of heat stroke were reported on Monday last week alone.
ORIGINS
The majority of deceased pilgrims came from countries including Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, India and Pakistan, earlier reports from Agence-France Press said, citing diplomats.
Deaths at hajj are not uncommon due to a variety of reasons. A stampede in 2015 killed hundreds of people. Heat stroke caused 1,012 deaths in 1985, when the pilgrimage was in August and average temperatures reached 54oC, a report from the Annals of Saudi Medicine said.
This year, the health ministry said treatment was given to almost half a million people, including 141,000 unauthorized pilgrims. Services included open-heart surgeries, cardiac care and air ambulance operations. Saudi Arabia also said it made almost 6,500 beds and rooms available to those who needed care.
The health minister praised the “successful execution of health management efforts” during the hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
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