Saudi Arabia has announced that 1,301 people died during thehajjmostly “unregistered” pilgrims.
Hajj, what it is and when the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca is celebrated
The pilgrimage took place in intense heat and most of the people who died had no official permits or assistance, authorities in Riyadh stressed.
Pilgrimage to Mecca, the death toll
“Unfortunately, the number of deaths has reached 1,301, of which 83% were not authorized to perform the hajj and walked long distances in direct sunlight, without adequate shelter or comfort,” the l the official Saudi news agency.
The numbers
The unknown regarding the numbers relates to the share of pilgrims not officially registered with the authorities of their country before leaving to carry out what represents one of the seven pillars of Islam. In any case, according to the authorities of each country, at least 14 Malaysian citizens, 165 Indonesians, 75 Jordanians, 35 Pakistanis, 49 Tunisians, 11 Iranians and 98 Indians died. Another 27 Jordanians are hospitalized and about 14 are still missing, the Foreign Ministry in Amman said.
The US State Department said several US citizens had died during the Hajj pilgrimage, but did not provide the number. «We can confirm the deaths of numerous US citizens in Saudi Arabia. We offer our sincere condolences to the families for their loss,” the State Department spokesperson said. Dozens of Iranians were hospitalized due to heat exhaustion, the Iranian Red Crescent said, quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency. According to the Egyptian presidency, the crisis unit will be led by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and “will provide support to the families of the victims.” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi instructed the unit to “rapidly coordinate with Saudi Arabia to facilitate the return of the bodies” of the dead, the statement added. Egyptian officials said they were working to gather an accurate count of victims and missing people.
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