06/23/2024
Saudi Arabia reported this Sunday that more than 1,300 people died during the haj pilgrimage to Mecca, due to the intense heat and specified that the majority of those who died did not have an official permit.
“Unfortunately, the number of fatalities was 1,301 and 83% did not have authorization to carry out the hajj. and walking long distances, exposed directly to the sun, without adequate conditions,” indicated the official Saudi agency.
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The hajj to Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim who has the necessary means must do it at least once in his life.
In recent years, Islam’s lunar calendar has made this rite coincide with the sweltering summer in Saudi Arabia. and this year temperatures of 51.8º C were recorded in Mecca.
Until this Sunday, Saudi authorities had not made any public comment on the reported deaths nor announced their own toll.
An AFP account from last week, based on official statements and reports from diplomats, It was estimated that more than 1,100 deaths were recorded.
A senior Saudi official told AFP on Friday that authorities had confirmed 577 deaths during the hajj’s two busiest days, June 15when pilgrims gathered for hours to pray on Mount Arafat, and on June 16, when they participated in Mina in the stoning of the stelae representing Satan.
But this source had warned that the figure was partial and did not cover the entire period of the hajjwhich concluded on Wednesday.
This year, This pilgrimage brought together 1.8 million faithful, 1.6 million of them from other countriesaccording to Saudi authorities.
Visas are issued by Saudi Arabia according to a system of quotas per country and, in cases like Egypt, then raffled among the faithful.
Those who benefit must use accredited travel agents, which are generally expensive.
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For this reason, many faithful try to avoid official circuits, although They risk arrest and deportation if discovered.
