Hajj: The death of 14 Jordanian pilgrims and the loss of others occupy social media sites

A statement by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “The number of deaths among Jordanian citizens performing Hajj rituals rose to 14 deaths, while the number of missing persons reached 17 pilgrims, and the ministry is still receiving more reports of missing persons, according to a statement by a source in the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs.” To the BBC, he added that the number of deaths and missing persons (from outside the official Jordanian Hajj delegation) will be fully announced within two days after a dedicated team in Saudi Arabia finishes its work.”

In a separate statement, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Berhossein Kolivand, said that five Iranian pilgrims died in Mecca and Medina during Hajj rituals this year, without specifying the reasons.

For its part, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the Jordanian pilgrims died “as a result of being exposed to sunstroke as a result of the intense heat wave.”

It quoted the Director of the Directorate of Operations and Consular Affairs, Sufyan Al-Qudah, as saying that the ministry is following up with the Saudi authorities in Jeddah “the procedures for burying pilgrims and transporting the bodies of those whose families wish to be transported to the Kingdom as quickly as possible.”

The Ministry is also following up on “the search for the 17 missing pilgrims.”

The judges pointed out that “the deceased pilgrims, may God have mercy on them, and the missing pilgrims, are from outside the official Jordanian Hajj delegation.”

The number of Jordanian pilgrims this year is 8,000.

The Jordanian Ministry of Endowments, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places confirmed to the BBC that the Jordanian pilgrims in the official mission “are all fine.”

There are no official statistics from the Jordanian government regarding “irregular” Jordanian pilgrims, according to what was stated by the Minister of Endowments, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, and Head of Jordanian Hajj Delegations, Muhammad Al-Khalayleh.

Al-Khalayla pointed out that “the deaths and losses that occurred were among those who attempted to perform Hajj rituals using a (tourist visa).”

As in 2023, more than 1.8 million pilgrims performed the rituals this year, including 1.6 million from outside the Kingdom, according to the Saudi authorities.

While pioneers on social media posted pictures and videos of some of the Jordanian pilgrims who died in tweets on the X website, some attributed the deaths to advanced age.

Osama Al-Ayyash said on the AX website: “The majority of Jordanian pilgrims were born in 1951 or before, so most of the pilgrims are 73 years old or older… It is possible that given the weather conditions and hardship, this thing will be normal. May God accept them, forgive them, and place them among the martyrs and the righteous.”

Jamal Al-Sharabi wrote: Jordanian Haj Tariq Al-Bastanji, who died on Saturday afternoon in the Arafat area, and his last words were prayers for Gaza.

“Oh God, help the people of Gaza and release them.”

Activist Osama Damour wrote: “Those who died yesterday among the pilgrims of the Sacred House of God in Arafat are Jordanian pilgrims who hold Jordanian citizenship, a Jordanian national number, and children of Jordan, whether regular or on the annual visa system. Irresponsible statements came out yesterday, unfortunately.”

Al-Khalayleh stated, “The Ministry of Endowments warned earlier and on more than one occasion that performing Hajj without a permit may entail risks, especially exposure to sun injuries, since these pilgrims do not have services in Saudi Arabia.”

There are no tents available outside the official mission, unlike regular pilgrims, which forces them to sleep in mosques and roads in temperatures that this year range around 45 degrees Celsius.

The official spokesman for the Ministry of Endowments, Ali Al-Daqamseh, had confirmed that “no deaths were recorded among the members of the official Jordanian Hajj delegation, and all of them completed the stop at the Arafat level with complete ease and comfort.”

The Director of Operations and Consular Affairs at the Ministry, Ambassador Sufyan Al-Qudah, confirmed that the Ministry is following up with the relevant Saudi authorities on the procedures for burying pilgrims and transporting the bodies of those whose families wish to be transported to the Kingdom as quickly as possible, and is also following up on the search for missing pilgrims.

For his part, Ahmed Al-Hamadneh wrote: “Everyone is worried and afraid about the disappearance of a number of irregular Jordanian pilgrims there in Saudi Arabia… What is noteworthy is that there is a parallel line that wants calm in dealing with what is happening out of concern for the nerves of their families from worrying about them, even if that is The calm is based on reducing media pressure to expand the search for them, and also at the expense of reducing Jordanian-Saudi diplomacy from intensifying procedures to reach them.”