Saudi Arabia has not provided information on fatalities. (Representative)
Amman, Jordan:
At least 19 Jordanian and Iranian pilgrims have died during the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, their countries' authorities said on Sunday, as temperatures rise in the kingdom.
“14 Jordanian pilgrims died and 17 others went missing” while performing hajj rituals, Jordan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, without specifying the cause of death.
Iranian Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Koolivand said that “so far, five Iranian pilgrims have lost their lives in Mecca and Medina during the hajj this year,” and did not say how they died.
The Hajj, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims with the means must perform it at least once.
Temperatures have risen well above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during the annual pilgrimage in which about 1.8 million Muslims are participating this year.
Many of the rituals are performed outdoors and on foot, which poses challenges, especially among the elderly.
Saudi Arabia has not provided information on fatalities.
But the kingdom has implemented heat mitigation measures, including climate-controlled areas, is handing out water and offering advice to pilgrims on how to protect themselves from the sun.
At least 240 people – many from Indonesia – died during last year's hajj, according to figures announced by several countries, which also did not specify causes of death.
More than 10,000 heat-related illnesses were recorded last year, 10 percent of which were heat stroke, a Saudi official told AFP this week.
A Saudi study shows that regional temperatures are rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade, and worsening heat may outpace mitigation measures.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
