2024-06-25 11:49:59
Maize: The loss of life toll through the Haj pilgrimage this 12 months amid scorching warmth in Saudi Arabia has crossed 1300. Saudi Arabia’s Well being Minister gave this data. Saudi Well being Minister Fahd bin Abdulrahman Al-Jalajeel mentioned that 83% of the 1,301 deaths had been unauthorized pilgrims who got here lengthy distances in excessive temperatures to carry out Haj rituals in and across the holy metropolis of Mecca. Talking to state TV Al Akhbariya, the minister mentioned that 95 pilgrims are being handled in hospitals, a few of whom have been delivered to the capital Riyadh by air for therapy. In response to information company AP, he mentioned that the identification strategy of the useless pilgrims was delayed as a result of many didn’t have any paperwork. He mentioned that the useless had been buried in Mecca, however didn’t give any detailed details about it. 98 Indian pilgrims have died throughout Haj this 12 months.
A lot of the useless are Egyptian pilgrims
The most important variety of useless are Egyptian pilgrims. Greater than 660 residents of Egypt have died. Two officers in Cairo mentioned that besides 31, all had been unregistered pilgrims. Officers mentioned that the licenses of 16 journey companies concerned in sending unauthorized pilgrims to Saudi Arabia have been canceled. In Egypt, native brokers ship financially weak folks to Saudi Arabia on vacationer visas to carry out Hajj by luring them with the promise of saving bills. Attributable to lack of registration, these pilgrims don’t get the power of Hajj. An Egyptian household had instructed that in an analogous manner, a lady from their household who had gone to carry out Hajj needed to stroll 12 km within the scorching warmth of Mecca. She later died.
A lot of the deaths occurred at an emergency complicated in Mecca’s Al-Muaisaim space, officers mentioned on situation of anonymity. Egypt had despatched greater than 50,000 licensed pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this 12 months, however numerous unregistered vacationers additionally arrived. Saudi authorities had despatched hundreds again, taking motion in opposition to unregistered vacationers, however many managed to succeed in Mecca and the holy websites round it. Most of them had been Egyptians. That they had no accommodations to flee the warmth.
Warmth wreaks havoc on Haj pilgrimage
Deaths have occurred throughout Hajj previously as effectively, as greater than 2 million folks usually journey to Saudi Arabia throughout this time. Aside from this, stampedes and epidemics have additionally unfold through the Hajj pilgrimage previously. However the quantity of deaths this time has shocked everybody. This time the reason for loss of life has been the scorching warmth in Saudi Arabia. Many international locations, together with Jordan and Tunisia, have mentioned that a few of their pilgrims died because of the warmth on the holy websites of Mecca. Indian pilgrim Khalid Bashir Bajaj instructed AP close to the principle mosque on Wednesday that he noticed ‘many individuals fainting and falling to the bottom’ throughout Hajj this 12 months. In response to Saudi Hajj officers, greater than 18.3 lakh Muslims carried out Hajj in 2024, together with greater than 16 lakh folks from 22 international locations and a couple of,22,000 residents and residents of Saudi Arabia.