The Hajj is a time of great reverence for the Muslims who embark upon the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in adherence with a pillar of Islam. But this year’s gathering was tinged by sorrow as a sustained wave of extreme heat pushed temperatures in the desert city as high as 125 degrees, leading to the deaths of at least 1,301 worshippers.
The government of Saudi Arabia released an official accounting of the fatalities on Sunday. It noted that 83 percent of those killed by the heat were unauthorized pilgrims — meaning they were not among the 1.8 million visitors who had been granted visas. Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel said identifying and tallying the casualties was delayed because many of them did not have identification, the Associated Press reported.
Officials said the death toll may continue to rise as more unauthorized pilgrims are identified. Although deaths are not uncommon during the Hajj — at least 774 died last year — this year’s pilgrimage occurred during a global heatwave that saw more than 1,000 temperature records fall... Read more
