Relatives of those missing during the Haj pilgrimage in Mecca toured Saudi hospitals on Wednesday (06/19/2024), after the death of at least 900 faithful, most due to the heat wave.
Hundreds of people had queued at the Emergency Complex in the Al-Muaisem neighborhood of Mecca, trying to obtain information about their missing relatives.
At least 600 of those who died in this pilgrimage, which took place last week in Islam’s holiest city, are Egyptian nationals, an Arab diplomat said. “All the deaths were due to heat,” he said.
Egyptian representatives in Saudi Arabia “have so far been informed of 1,400 cases of missing pilgrims,” a figure that includes the 600 deaths, the Arab diplomat added.
The husband of Mabruka bint Salem Shushana, a Tunisian septuagenarian, lost track of him since the climax of the pilgrimage to Mount Arafat on Saturday.
The woman, who was not officially registered among the pilgrims, could not therefore have access to the air-conditioned facilities. “She was very hot and had nowhere to sleep. I looked for her in all the hospitals and until now I don’t know anything about her,” says her husband, Mohamed.
Social networks flooded with photos of missing people
Mohamed is not the only one desperately searching for information about a family member. Facebook and other social networks are flooded with photos of missing people and requests for information.
Nothing is known about the Egyptian Ghada Mahmud Dawud since Saturday. “I received a call from her daughter asking me to post a message on Facebook that could help find her,” said a family friend living in Saudi Arabia, who requested anonymity.
“We have not found her on the list of deceased, which gives us hope that she is still alive,” he added.
In addition to the deaths of Egyptians, the deaths of 60 Jordanians were announced, as well as other pilgrims from Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia and Iraqi Kurdistan.
An Asian diplomat reported “68 deaths” among Indian pilgrims.
Hundreds of bodies taken to the morgue
The day before, diplomats stressed that 550 bodies had been transported to the Al Muaisem morgue, one of the most important in Mecca.
Saudi authorities claimed on Sunday to have treated more than 2,000 pilgrims suffering from heat stress, without providing precise information on deaths.
This year, the hajj attracted around 1.8 million pilgrims, of whom 1.6 million came from abroad, according to Saudi authorities.
At least 240 pilgrims, mostly Indonesians, died in last year’s hajj.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim who has the necessary means must do it at least once in their life.
jc (efe, dpa, reuters)
