Hajj pilgrimage ends amid deadly Saudi heat spike

As Muslim pilgrims completed the hajj in sweltering heat on Monday, Saudi Arabia issued a warning about a temperature increase in Mecca. Over a dozen heat-related fatalities had been reported.

This year, during the scorching Saudi summer, one of the biggest religious assemblies globally took place. The Saudi health ministry reported that over 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” were reported by officials on Sunday alone.

The Kaaba, the massive black cubic edifice that all Muslims pray towards, was surrounded by pilgrims on Monday as temperatures in Mecca’s Grand Mosque hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit). This information was provided by the Saudi weather office.

In nearby Mina, where a spokesman for the national meteorology service said the temperature was 46C, other pilgrims were throwing stones at three concrete walls — a ritual known as “stoning the devil” that is the last major step of the hajj, while struggling under the burning sun.

Jordan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that 14 Jordanian pilgrims had died “after suffering sun stroke due to the extreme heat wave”, and that 17 others were “missing”.

Senegal’s foreign ministry said that three more pilgrims had died, while Iran confirmed the deaths of five but did not provide an explanation.

136 Indonesian pilgrims have died during the Hajj, including at least three cases of heat stroke, according to a health ministry official from Indonesia who is presently in Saudi Arabia.

“The holy sites today record the highest temperatures since the beginning of hajj… that may reach 49 degrees Celsius, and we advise the guests of God not to be exposed to the sun,” the health ministry said, according to state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel.

2,764 cases of heat exhaustion were reported by the Saudi health ministry in a statement on Sunday. The agency attributed these cases to sun exposure and “non-compliance with guidelines,” which include seeking shade during the afternoon.

“Prevention is the most important, and the commitment of pilgrims not to go out at peak times except when necessary, or to use an umbrella, would reduce the incidence of heat exhaustion,” the statement said.

“Our health guidelines for the coming days are clear and easy: carry an umbrella, drink water regularly, and avoid exposure to the sun.”