More than 1,300 pilgrims lost their lives during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, according to the country's health minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel. The fatalities were mainly among unauthorized pilgrims who endured the scorching heat while walking long distances. The death toll included over 660 individuals from Egypt, as reported by officials in Cairo.
Egyptian authorities revoked the licenses of 16 travel agencies that facilitated the travel of unauthorized pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. These agencies were accused of providing inadequate services and using visas that did not permit travel to Mecca, the holy site of the pilgrimage.
Despite the crackdown on unauthorized pilgrims, many, mostly from Egypt, managed to reach the holy sites in and around Mecca. The extreme temperatures, reaching up to 49 degrees Celsius, led to pilgrims fainting, vomiting, and collapsing. The Egyptian government confirmed the death of 31 authorized pilgrims due to chronic diseases, with additional deaths reported by a Cabinet official and an Egyptian diplomat.
The death toll also included pilgrims from Indonesia, India, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Malaysia, and the United States. Saudi officials did not respond to questions regarding the causes of death, but some countries attributed the fatalities to the soaring heat.
The Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, attracts millions of Muslims from around the world. Saudi Arabia has implemented safety measures to protect pilgrims, but the sheer number of participants makes it challenging to ensure their well-being. Climate change poses a potential threat to the safety of pilgrims in the future, with projections indicating extreme temperatures during the Hajj period in the coming years.