More than 1,000 people die at Hajj pilgrimage 2024 amid extreme heat in Saudi Arabia

[washable_orbit]

More than 1,000 people die at hajj pilgrimage 2024 amid extreme heat in Saudi Arabia, AFP reports

About 10 countries have reported a total of 1,081 deaths during the hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the AFP news agency says.

www.cbsnews.com

Riyadh — The death toll from this year's hajjhas exceeded 1,000, an AFP tally said on Thursday, more than half of them unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia. The new deaths reported Thursday included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that of 658 total dead from that country, 630 were unregistered.

The national meteorological center reported a high of 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) earlier this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Egyptian officials reached by CBS News would not confirm the figures stated by the AFP, but dozens of videos posted on social media in recent days showed bodies laying on the streets around the Grand Mosque.

I came across this on telegram, from a couple days ago. I tried to see if this has been posted yet but couldn’t find anything (feel free to move it if appropriate). An incredibly sad situation.

 

[washable_orbit]

Update:

OVER 1,300 PEOPLE DIED DURING HAJJ PILGRIMAGE IN 2024: SAUDI ARABIA​

https://ddnews.gov.in/en/over-1300-people-died-during-hajj-pilgrimage-in-2024-saudi-arabia/

In a statement, the Saudi government said, “The health system addressed numerous cases of heat stress this year, with some individuals still under care. Regrettably, the number of mortalities reached 1,301.”

The statement noted that 83 per cent of those who died were “unauthorised to perform Hajj” and “walked long distances under direct sunlight, without adequate shelter or comfort.” It said that the deceased people included “several elderly and chronically ill individuals,” adding that the families of all the dead had now been identified, according to CNN report.

Saudi Arabia requires each pilgrim to acquire one of the 1.8 million available licenses to legally access Mecca, the holy city that is central for Hajj pilgrims. These licenses can cost a pilgrim several thousand US dollars. Usually, the unlicensed pilgrims don’t travel in organised tour buses with air conditioning or easy access to water and food supplies.

The Saudi government seemed to suggest the unauthorised nature of many of the trips as the reason for taking so long to issue an official death toll, as this had complicated the process of identification.

The statement reads, “Identification completed, despite the initial lack of personal information or identification documents. Proper processes were followed for identification, burial, and honoring the deceased, with death certificates provided.”

Some pilgrims have criticised the poor infrastructure and organisation of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage. Pilgrims who were on official tours also spent the bulk of their day walking outdoors in the scorching heat. Speaking to CNN, some witnesses said they saw worshippers losing consciousness and walking past bodies covered in white cloth.

 

[Persej]

Pilgrims who were on official tours also spent the bulk of their day walking outdoors in the scorching heat.

This is also happening on Greek islands.

Tourist death toll from Greek heat wave rises to 6, others missing

A 67-year-old German has been found dead on the Greek island of Crete, police said on Monday, the sixth tourist death in June during a period of unusually hot weather.

The tourist had set off alone on a hike in a canyon in the Sougia region on Sunday and after a few hours called his wife to report that he was not feeling well.

"A search and rescue operation started immediately and a special rescue unit with drones spotted the man's (body) in Trypiti canyon," a police official told Reuters.

Police did not identify the dead German.

There has been a spate of deaths and disappearances of tourists during an unusual June heatwave across the Mediterranean country, highlighting the dangers of exposure to temperatures touching or exceeding 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Rescue teams are also searching for two French women, aged 73 and 64, on the island of Sikinos, and a 59-year-old American policeman holidaying on the island of Amorgos.

A 55-year-old American was found dead on the Greek island of Mathraki in the Ionian Sea last week, and a Dutch tourist on the Aegean island of Samos earlier in the month.

The body of British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found on Symi, another Aegean island, on June 9 after a four-day search operation by aircraft, drones and boats. He had taken a walk alone in high temperatures before going missing.

Tourist death toll from Greek heat wave rises to 6, others missing

A 67-year-old German has been found dead on the Greek island of Crete, police said on Monday, the sixth tourist death in June during a period of unusually hot weather. "A search and rescue operation started immediately and a special rescue unit with drones spotted the man's (body) in Trypiti...

uk.news.yahoo.com

 

[Konstantin]

Update:

OVER 1,300 PEOPLE DIED DURING HAJJ PILGRIMAGE IN 2024: SAUDI ARABIA​

https://ddnews.gov.in/en/over-1300-people-died-during-hajj-pilgrimage-in-2024-saudi-arabia/

Most of the pilgrims if not all received mRNA shots ( and many other shots, like flu shots for example).

I wonder if this fact increased the death toll of the pilgrims this year and like usual, the main culprit is global warming, although the temperatures were very high during this period.

 

[washable_orbit]

Most of the pilgrims if not all received mRNA shots ( and many other shots, like flu shots for example).

I wonder if this fact increased the death toll of the pilgrims this year and like usual, the main culprit is global warming, although the temperatures were very high during this period.

I can’t even fathom what 125 degrees of scorching desert heat would feel like. This might be a good post for SOTT.

 

[Lilou]

Most of the pilgrims if not all received mRNA shots ( and many other shots, like flu shots for example).

I wonder if this fact increased the death toll of the pilgrims this year and like usual, the main culprit is global warming, although the temperatures were very high during this period.

That is probably true. Many middle eastern countries had high vax rates. I know in Jordan, people had to have a vax card to enter any government building and even banks during the covid chaos. (And no drive through banking there).

We warned many people and I’d say only 3 of the several listened. The others are now regretting it, complaining of fatigue and shortness of breath.

There is a huge uptick of sudden death, especially noteworthy in the very young (20’s-30’s).

 

[Brewer]

Most of the pilgrims if not all received mRNA shots ( and many other shots, like flu shots for example).
I wonder if this fact increased the death toll of the pilgrims this year and like usual, the main culprit is global warming, although the temperatures were very high during this period.

Likely a contributing factor but this has been happening for years......

Some notable incidents include:

• 2 July 1990: A stampede or crush inside a pedestrian tunnel (Al-Ma'aisim tunnel) leading out from Mecca towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims, many of them of Malaysian, Indonesian and Pakistani origin.[4][5]
• 23 May 1994: A stampede killed at least 270 pilgrims at the Stoning of the Devil ritual.
• 9 April 1998: At least 118 pilgrims were trampled to death and 180 injured in an incident on Jamaraat Bridge.[6]
• 5 March 2001: 35 pilgrims were trampled to death in a stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual.[7]
• 11 February 2003: The Stoning of the Devil ritual claimed 14 pilgrims' lives.[8]
• 1 February 2004: 251 pilgrims were killed and another 244 injured in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina.[9]
• 22 January 2005: A stampede through the stoning ritual in Mina led to the killing of three pilgrims[10]
• 12 January 2006: A stampede or crush during the Stoning of the Devil on the last day of the Hajj in Mina killed at least 346 pilgrims and injured at least 289 more. The incident occurred shortly after 13:00 local time, when a busload of travelers arrived together at the eastern access ramps to the Jamaraat Bridge. This caused pilgrims to trip, rapidly resulting in a lethal crowd collapse. An estimated two million people were performing the ritual at the time.
• 24 September 2015: At least 2,236[11] pilgrims were killed during a crush and stampede. The Saudi government has yet to release an official report. An Associated Press (AP) report compiled from official reports and statements totaled the deaths at at least 1,470, over 700 more than the figures from Saudi authorities, and the worst toll so far in Mecca.[12] The AP later updated its estimate to 2,411 pilgrims killed.[13]

I think the program is the main factor here and what a LOOSH pit that program is!

 

[washable_orbit]

Likely a contributing factor but this has been happening for years......

I think the program is the main factor here and what a LOOSH pit that program is!

Wow, thank you for sharing. It’s also important to note that all of those incidents were due to stampedes of sorts. What separates this year’s unfortunate death rate is the fact that it was due to the high temperatures they are experiencing.

Even if not related, curiosity led me to do a very quick search. While I wasn’t able to get the numbers down to the specific date, weatherspark.com still provided a yearly chart for the average temperatures at Taif Regional Airport, one and a half hours away from Mecca/Makkah.

For the month of July 1990, temperatures did not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Same for May 1994. April 1998 saw temperatures of little over 90 degrees. It was in the 80’s for March 2001, and even lower for February 2003. The pattern continued to decrease for the same month of 2004, and even lower for January 2005. A year later, January 2006 saw yet another (slight) drop in temperatures. Lastly, for September 2015, the temperature barely went past 100 degrees.

That said, per the website, June 2024 has not even reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit, so I’m not sure how accurate that information is, how the weather differs between cities, and whether the heat dome affects each separately.

p.s. 100F is roughly 38C.

 

[washable_orbit]

Nowhere does it say that Mecca is experiencing a heat dome, so disregard that part. That’s actually for North America.