As high temperatures continue in Saudi Arabia (with peaks of 51.8 degrees), this Sunday the local authorities made the report of 1,300 deaths during the pilgrimage to Mecca. As they stated, the Most of the deceased did not have official permission.
“Unfortunately, the number of fatalities was 1,301 and 83% did not have authorization to perform the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and walking long distances, exposed directly to the sun, without adequate conditions,” the official Saudi agency indicated.
The pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the five pillars of islam and every Muslim who has the necessary means You must do it at least once in your life.
In recent years, the lunar calendar of Islam makes this rite coincides with summer in Saudi Arabia, with increasingly extreme temperatures. This year there were peaks of 51.8º C in Mecca.
Until this Sunday, Saudi authorities had not made any public comment on the reported deaths nor announced their own toll.
A senior Saudi official told AFP on Friday that authorities had confirmed 577 deaths during the two days of greatest haj activityon June 15, when the pilgrims gathered during hours to pray on Mount Arafatand on June 16, when they participated in Mina in the stoning of the stelae that represent Satan.
But this source had warned that the figure was partial and did not cover the entire period of the hajj, which ended on Wednesday.
1.8 million people undertook the pilgrimage to Mecca
This year, this pilgrimage brought together 1.8 million faithful, 1.6 million of them from other countriesaccording to Saudi authorities.
The visas are granted by Saudi Arabia according to a system of quotas per country and, in cases such as Egypt, then raffled among the faithful.
Who benefits They must use accredited travel agents, generally expensive. That is why many faithful try avoid official circuitsalthough risk arrest and deportationif they are discovered.
