Over 550 Hajj Pilgrims, Including 68 Indians, Die In Mecca As Temperature Exceeds 50 Degrees

At least 550 pilgrims, including 68 Indians, lost their lives during the Hajj pilgrimage this year, amid the scorching heat in Mecca.

At least 550 pilgrims, including 68 Indians, lost their lives during the Hajj due to the scorching heat in Mecca, according to news agency AFP. The majority of the dead, around 323, were reportedly Egyptians, losing their lives to heat-related illnesses. The temperature at the Grand Mosque in Mecca soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius on Monday, as per the Saudi National Meteorology Centre.

"All of them (the Egyptians) died because of heat" except for one who got seriously injured during a crowd crush, one of the two diplomats told AFP, adding the total figure of 550 came from the hospital morgue located in Mecca's Al-Muaisem neighbourhood.

Those dead also include at least 60 Jordanians, the diplomats stated. This tally has gone up from the official tally of 41 given on Tuesday by Jordan.

As per AFP's tally, the new deaths have increased the the total reported so far by various countries to 577.

However, the diplomats stated tha the total as per the Al-Muasisem morgue, which is one of the biggest in Mecca, was 550.

Saudi authorities reported treating over 2,000 pilgrims suffering due to heat but have not yet updated the figures and information on casualties since Sunday.

Saudi officials had advised pilgrims to drink adequate water, use umbrellas, and avoid sun exposure during the hottest hours. However, some Hajj rituals require pilgrims to stay outdoors for prolonged periods during the day. 

Some pilgrims even recounted seeing motionless bodies on the roadside and overhwhelmed ambulance services, the report noted. 

1.8 Million Pilgrims Participated In Hajj This Year

This year, around 1.8 million pilgrims participated in the Hajj, 1.6 million of whom were foreigners, according to Saudi authorities.

Some other countries that have reported deaths during the Hajj this year include Iran, Indonesia, and Senegal.

However, most of the countries have not yet specified about the figures on heat-related deaths.

Health officials "provided virtual consultations to over 5,800 pilgrims, primarily for heat-related illnesses, enabling prompt intervention and mitigating the potential for a surge in cases," the report quoted the Saudi Press Agency as saying.

Last year, at least 240 pilgrims were reported dead by several countries, most of them Indonesians.

Climate change, is increasingly affecting the Hajj pilgrimage, according to a Saudi study published last month. As per the study, temperatures in the area where rituals are performed were rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade.

Every year thousands of pilgrims, who cannot afford the expensive procedures for the Hajj visas, attempt to perform the pilgrimage through irregular channels.

This makes them off-the-books pilgrims, putting them at risk, since they cannot access air-conditioned facilities provided by Saudi authorities along the Hajj route, AFP reported.