The total death toll during the Hajj season this year rose to more than 900 people, the majority of whom were Egyptians and most of them for reasons related to the hot weather, while many are still searching for their relatives and friends who went missing during the Hajj pilgrimage.
An Arab diplomat, on condition of anonymity, told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday that the number of deaths among Egyptian pilgrims had risen to “at least 600,” after two Arab diplomats reported the death of at least 323 Egyptians in a previous toll.
He pointed out that Egyptian officials in Saudi Arabia have received “1,400 reports of missing persons so far,” noting that this number includes the number of deaths mentioned previously.
He added, “All (new deaths) were caused by the heat.”
The temperature at the beginning of this week reached 51.8 degrees Celsius in Mecca.
The number of deaths among Egyptians brings the total death toll during the Hajj season this year to at least 922, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse based on numbers announced by the countries concerned and diplomats, most of whom did not explain the reasons. In addition to the Egyptians, this number includes 132 Indonesians, 68 Indians, 60 Jordanians, 35 Tunisians, 13 from the Kurdistan region of Iraq, 11 Iranians, and 3 Senegalese.
On Wednesday, an Asian diplomat in Saudi Arabia confirmed to Agence France-Presse: “We have about 68 confirmed deaths (among Indian pilgrims)… some of them due to natural causes as there were many elderly pilgrims. Some (died) due to weather conditions, this is what we assume.”
He continued, “This happens every year. We cannot say that this number is abnormally high this year,” adding, “It is somewhat similar to last year, but we will know more in the coming days.”
Last year more than 200 pilgrims came, most of them from Indonesia.
The Saudi Ministry of Health announced, on Sunday, the recording of “2,764 cases of heat exhaustion, due to high temperatures in the holy sites, exposure to the sun, and failure to adhere to guidelines.” But she did not give any information about the deaths.
The Hajj season, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, is increasingly affected by climate change, according to a Saudi study that reported that the temperature in the region rises by 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade.
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.
Fear of the worst
Friends and families of missing pilgrims are searching hospitals in Saudi Arabia and posting appeals on social media seeking any information about their loved ones, while they are gripped by intense fear of the worst as the death toll increases.
The Tunisian woman, Mabrouka bint Salem Shoshana, who is in her early seventies, has been missing since Saturday, at the height of the rituals on Mount Arafat, as her husband, Mohammed, confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.
Muhammad said that because she did not have an official Hajj permit, she was unable to access the air-conditioned facilities where registered pilgrims rest.
He confirmed that she was “an elderly woman… She was feeling very tired from the intense heat and had no place to sleep,” adding, “I searched for her in all the hospitals, but there was no trace of her at all. I have no idea where she could be.”
Mohammed is one of many trying to obtain information about their loved ones. Social networking sites have been filled with pictures of missing persons and appeals for any information about them.
Among them is the family of Egyptian pilgrim, Ghada Mahmoud Ahmed Dawoud, who has been missing since Saturday.
A family friend who lives in Saudi Arabia, without revealing her name, said: “My friend in Egypt called me and informed me that her mother was missing and begged me to post any post so I could help search for her.”
She added, “The good news is that so far we have not found her name on the list of deceased pilgrims, which gives us hope that she is still alive.”
Another Arab diplomat told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday that Jordanian officials are searching for 20 missing pilgrims, noting that 80 others were found in hospitals after they were missing.
“We didn’t find her”
The Kingdom allows Hajj to be performed exclusively for residents who have permits and foreigners who obtain specialized visas. But its expansion in issuing general visas, since 2019, has opened a wider scope for performing Hajj in a less expensive, but illegal, way for thousands of foreigners.
Omar Karim, an expert on Saudi affairs at the University of Birmingham, said: “For people on a tourist visa, it is as if they are on the immigration route with no idea what to expect.”
One Arab diplomat told AFP that the majority of Egyptian pilgrims who died were “irregular.”
Even pilgrims with permits face many risks, including 70-year-old Egyptian Houria Ahmed Abdullah Sharif, who went missing on Saturday. After praying on Mount Arafat, she told her friend that she wanted to go to the public bathroom to clean her abaya, but she never returned.
Her friend, without revealing her name, told Agence France-Presse: “We started looking for her in the bathrooms and did not find her at all. We have not found her until this moment. We went to the police and hospitals and there was no trace of her at all.”
She added, “We know many people who are looking for their families and relatives and are unable to find them. If they find them, they are among the dead.”
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