Jordan Death toll rises after extreme heat during pilgrimage in Mecca
The number of deaths caused by extreme heat during the Muslim pilgrimage Hajj in Saudi Arabia continues to rise. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that at least 75 Jordanian pilgrims had died as a result of the extreme temperatures. Tunisia also reported further deaths. According to the Tunisian authorities, at least 49 Tunisian citizens lost their lives during the pilgrimage to Mecca.
21.06.2024, 17:57
SDA
The total number of people who died during the pilgrimage is not yet officially known. Saudi Arabia has not yet commented on this. Due to the extreme heat, the Friday sermon at the Al-Haram mosque in Mecca was shortened. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health wrote on X: "We live in a country where human health comes first." The Saudi Ministry of Health continued to call on worshippers to avoid the sun as much as possible and to drink plenty of water.
Following reports of hundreds of deaths of Egyptian citizens, Egypt said it had sent teams to Mecca on Thursday to investigate. They are to gather information about missing Egyptian citizens, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo. Official information on the number of deceased Egyptians has not yet been released by Cairo. According to various media reports, over 300 Egyptian pilgrims have lost their lives.
Around 1.8 million pilgrims took part in the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year, which is one of the five basic duties of Islam. The pilgrimage began in Mecca last Friday in sweltering heat. It ended on Tuesday. Temperatures of around 50 degrees Celsius prevailed at the holy sites for Muslims in the surrounding area. Iran and Senegal also reported the deaths of some of their citizens.
