The death toll from the scorching temperatures among the faithful on pilgrimage to Mecca exceeds a thousand victims. The AFP reports it.
Yesterday, an Egyptian diplomatic source indicated that over 900 Muslim pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj pilgrimage to the sacred places of Islam, due to the exceptional heat wave with temperatures above 50 degrees.
Video Muslim pilgrims brave the heat as they climb Mount Arafat
Most of them are Egyptians, but the country’s authorities are still identifying several missing and injured people in hospitals, warning that the toll could vary. The latest bulletin from the Egyptian Hajj Mission reveals that it has identified 142 Egyptian pilgrims who were no longer heard from. Over a thousand would instead be hospitalized in Saudi hospitals.
Pilgrimage (hajj) is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims who have the means must do it at least once in their lives. Temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday, the Saudi national meteorological center said.
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