This year’s hajj death toll has surpassed 1,000, with over half being unregistered worshippers who endured extreme heat in Saudi Arabia, according to an AFP tally on Thursday.
Among the newly reported deaths were 58 from Egypt, bringing the total to 658, of which 630 were unregistered, an Arab diplomat revealed.
In total, around 10 countries have reported 1,081 deaths during the pilgrimage, a mandatory act for all Muslims with the means to undertake it at least once.
The hajj occurred during the Saudi summer, with temperatures reaching 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. A recent Saudi study noted a temperature rise of 0.4 degrees Celsius per decade in the area.
Each year, tens of thousands of pilgrims attempt the hajj through unofficial channels due to the high cost of official permits. Saudi authorities reported clearing hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca earlier this month, but many still participated in the main rites starting last Friday. Without permits, these pilgrims lacked access to air-conditioned spaces provided for the 1.8 million authorized pilgrims, making them more vulnerable to the heat.
“People were tired after being chased by security forces before Arafat day. They were exhausted,” one Arab diplomat told AFP on Thursday, referring to Saturday’s day-long outdoor prayers that marked the hajj’s climax.
The diplomat said the principal cause of death among Egyptian pilgrims was the heat, which triggered complications related to high blood pressure and other issues.
In addition to Egypt, fatalities have also been confirmed by Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, though in many cases authorities have not specified the cause.
Friends and family members have been searching for pilgrims who are still missing.
On Wednesday they scoured hospitals and pleaded online for news, fearing the worst during the scorching temperatures.
Saudi Arabia has not provided information on fatalities, though it reported more than 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” on Sunday alone.
