More than 550 hajj pilgrims die in Mecca amid scorching heat

More than 550 hajj pilgrims have died in Mecca amid scorching heat، including 323 of the dead were Egyptians، most of whom perished due to heat-related illness anf 35 Tunisian citizens have died during the haj، as many of those deaths were due to extreme heat in Mecca، family members said on social media، and other families continued to search for missing relatives in Saudi hospitals.

Hundreds hajj pilgrims die of extreme heat during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca amid scorching heat، stampedes، tent fires and other accidents have caused hundreds of deaths during haj to Saudi Arabia in the past 30 years.

Saudi state TV said temperatures rose on Monday as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius

Saudi state TV said temperatures rose on Monday as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit) in the shade at the Grand Mosque in Mecca that hundreds of hajj pilgrims reported dead amid lethal heatwave.

A 2024 study by the Journal of Travel and Medicine found that rising global temperatures may outpace strategies to deal with the heat as Muslim hajj pilgrims circle the Kaaba as they perform Tawaf at the Grand Mosque، during the annual haj pilgrimage، in Mecca، Saudi Arabia.

Warning: hajj pilgrims performing haj will face extreme danger due to rising temperatures

A 2019 study by Geophysical Research Letters said that as temperatures rise in arid Saudi Arabia due to climate change، pilgrims performing haj will face "extreme danger".

The Jordanian foreign ministry said it had issued 41 burial permits for Jordanian pilgrims on Tuesday. Earlier، the ministry said at least six Jordanian citizens died of heat stroke during the hajj and 11 Iranians have died and 24 were hospitalized during the pilgrimage، as well as 3 Senegalese citizens also died during haj، and 144 Indonesian citizens died during the pilgrimage.

The hajj is an annual pilgrimage that millions of Muslims pilgrims make to Mecca to perform religious rites as taught by the Prophet Mohammad to his followers 14 centuries ago.

More than 2،700 hajj pilgrims who suffered from heat-related illness are treated

A Saudi health official، speaking to Reuters on Monday، before many of the reports of deaths were issued، said that authorities had not noticed any unusual fatalities on hajj among Muslim pilgrims amid the extremely high temperatures.

The ministry had so far treated more than 2،700 pilgrims who suffered from heat-related illness as hajj is a difficult task، so you have to exert efforts and perform the rituals even in the conditions of heat and crowding.

Pilgrims used umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun during hajj

Pilgrims used umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun، as Saudi authorities warned pilgrims to stay hydrated and avoid being outdoors during the hottest hours between 11 a.m. (0800 GMT) and 3 p.m. during hajj rituals.

Hajj، one of the largest mass gatherings in the world، is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for able-bodied Muslims who can afford it and more than 1.8 million pilgrims were expected to take part this year، according to the Saudi General Authority for Statistics.

The sheer number of pilgrims participating in the Hajj reliably makes it a dangerous event

The sheer number of pilgrims participating in the Hajj reliably makes it a dangerous event، with incidents of people crushed in crowds far from rare، however، the Saudi authorities are increasingly having to take measures to try to protect people from temperatures that have soared as high as 51°C this year.

Many pilgrims perform the Hajj's rites in the early morning or late evening hours for fear of suffering heatstroke in the daytime، still more than 2،760 pilgrims suffered from sunstroke and heat stress on Sunday alone at the start of the first round of ritual stoning، according to the Saudi Health Ministry.

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke are more common in high temperatures

Experts say heat exhaustion and heatstroke are likely to become more common in high temperatures، with symptoms including heavy sweating، dizziness، muscle spasms and vomiting as heatstroke is the most serious heat-related illness and happens when the body loses its ability to sweat.

Security forces، medics and first responders have been deployed in and around Mina، especially on roads and open areas to direct and help hajj pilgrims and they treated many of them for sunburns on their feet.