Scorching Heat: Over 550 Pilgrims Die During Hajj In Mecca (Photo @snehamordani)

As millions of devotees are performing Hajj this year in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, more than 550 people reportedly died in the soaring temperature so far. According to diplomats, most of the deceased – around 323 pilgrims- were from Egypt and the majority of them were surrendering to heat-related illnesses.

One of the five pillars in Islam, Hajj has to be completed at least once in a lifetime, but only if the person is physically fit and financially capable.

An Egyptian diplomat said that all of the 323 except one who sustained fatal injuries during a minor crowd crush, had died due to the heat. At least 60 Jordanians also died during the Hajj, making the total number of deaths 577, according to a report by the news agency AFP. Around 550 bodies are lying at the morgue in Al-Muaisem, one of the biggest in Mecca, according to diplomates.

As around 1.8 million registered pilgrims are performing the Hajj, the increasing temperature has affected the pilgrimage, according to a study published last month. As per the Saudi National Meteorology, temperature has hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday.

Authorities have reported that more than 2,000 pilgrims are undergoing treatment due to heat-related issues, and the figure has not been updated since Sunday. It has also not provided information on the fatalities. On Tuesday,  Egypt’s foreign ministry said that it was working with Saudi authorities on search operations for Egyptians who had gone missing during the Hajj. It is unknown how many Egyptians are among the dead.

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However, the authorities have asked the pilgrims to use umbrellas, drink plenty of water and avoid exposure to the sun during the hottest hours of the day. According to a report, volunteers are providing cold drinks and fast-melting chocolate ice cream to help pilgrims cool. Notably, some rituals during the Hajj include prayers in outdoor areas for hours.

During last year’s pilgrimage, at least 240 pilgrims were reported dead from across the world, and most of the dead were from Indonesia. Out of the 1.8 pilgrims, around 1.6 million are from abroad. It is reported that the unregistered pilgrims through irregular channels have also added woes to the pilgrims. The unregistered pilgrims limit the access of those who came through the proper channel to the air-conditioned facilities given by Saudi authorities along the Hajj route.

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According to a diplomat, the rise in Egyptian deaths was due to the arrival of increased unregistered Egyptian pilgrims this time. “Irregular pilgrims caused great chaos in the Egyptian pilgrims’ camps, causing the collapse of services, The pilgrims went without food, water, or air conditioning for a long time,” said an Egyptian official supervising the country’s Hajj mission. Saudi authorities had informed earlier this month that they cleared thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca ahead of the Hajj season.