Hajj Deaths: Saudi Arabia Says Toll Over 1,300, Claims 83% Were Unauthorised Pilgrims

While deaths during the Hajj are not new, the high toll this year has been attributed to extreme heat, as temperatures have risen as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius in Mecca.

Saudi Arabia has said that over 1,300 pilgrims have died during the Hajj pilgrimage this year. In a statement, they attributed the deaths to heat stress and said the vast majority of the pilgrims — 83% — did not have official permits to perform Hajj. Unauthorised pilgrims or people who didn't come through official channels can't access the official cooling facilities such as air-conditioned tents and buses.

"Regrettably, the number of mortalities reached 1,301, with 83% being unauthorised to perform Hajj and having walked long distances under direct sunlight, without adequate shelter or comfort," the official Saudi Press Agency reported the statement as saying, according to AFP.

There were “several elderly and chronically ill individuals” among the deceased, it said, adding that the families of all the dead had now been identified, CNN reported.

While deaths during the Hajj are not new, the high toll this year has been attributed to extreme heat, as temperatures have risen as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius in Mecca, according to Saudi Arabia's National Meteorological Centre.

Riyadh had not publicly commented on the deaths or provided its own toll until Sunday, AFP reported. A senior Saudi official, on Friday, gave AFP a partial toll of 577 for two of the busiest days of Hajj: June 15, when "pilgrims gathered for hours of prayers in the blazing sun on Mount Arafat", and June 16, when they participated in the stoning-of-the-devil ritual in Mina. 

The official also defended Riyadh's response. "The state did not fail, but there was a misjudgement on the part of people who did not appreciate the risks," the official was quoted as saying by AFP.

On Sunday, Saudi Health Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel described the management of the Hajj this year as "successful".

While speaking to the state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel, the minister said the health system had provided more than 4,65,000 specialised treatment services, including 141,000 services to those who didn't obtain official authorisation to perform Hajj. He didn’t specify the number of deaths Saudi officials attributed to heat.

The minister said many people were still under care. 

According to AFP, hall permits are given to countries on a quota system and distributed to individuals like a lottery. People without permits can obtain them at steep costs, but risk arrest and deportation if caught.

Saudi authorities said before the Hajj that they had cleared hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca.