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The rising temperature around the world is causing many problems. In India alone, the number of people who died due to heatwave has crossed 65. The condition of the Gulf country Saudi Arabia is even worse. Already, Saudi Arabia experiences deadly heat. But this time, breaking all records, the temperature has crossed 50 degrees. On Tuesday, the Saudi government informed that about 577 Haj pilgrims have died due to extreme heat.
Among the Haj pilgrims who died, the highest number of pilgrims, about 323, are from Egypt. Officials told AFP that among the Egyptian citizens who died, one citizen died after getting injured after colliding with the crowd, the rest of the deaths have been attributed to heat. Citizens of many countries are included among the Haj pilgrims who died. Amman officials said that about 60 Haj pilgrims from Jordan have died.
Hajj is being affected by climate change
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is necessary for all capable Muslims to perform it at least once. Climate change is significantly affecting the Hajj pilgrimage, according to a Saudi report released last month. The report said temperatures in places where the Hajj is performed are rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) every decade. This year, the temperature at Mecca’s Grand Mosque reached 51.8 degrees Celsius, according to the Saudi Arabian Meteorological Department.
❗🔥🇸🇦 – During the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, at least 323 Egyptian pilgrims died, mainly due to heat-related illnesses, according to Arab diplomats.
Only one of the deaths was caused by injuries at a small gathering.
Additionally, 60 Jordanians also died, exceeding pic.twitter.com/fRDdKEz61t
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) June 18, 2024
The death toll more than doubled
Last year, about 240 pilgrims died due to heat during Hajj, most of whom were citizens of Indonesia. According to Saudi officials, about two thousand Hajj pilgrims who fell ill due to heat are being treated. At the same time, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that they are working closely with Saudi authorities to search for Egyptians missing during the Qahira Hajj.
