Lack of accommodation services like cooling services caused deadly effect of heat wave to the pilgrims of Hajj in Saudi Arabia. The effects of this month were worse, causing over 1300 deaths. On Sunday, 1301 deaths were reported in which, 83% of the people were unregistered pilgrims.
About the incident:
The temperature in the holy city of Mecca went up-to 125 degrees Fahrenheit during the pilgrimage. On Sunday, Fahd Al-Jalajel, the Health Minister of Saudi Arabia reported around 1300 deaths to the local media. Observing which, 600 were from Egypt. The pilgrimage is continuously becoming dangerous and risky due to the scorching heat temperatures and the deserted kingdom. Over the past decades, Saudi Arabia has been 50% warmer than the other regions in the northern hemisphere. It is believed that human survival will not be possible without continuous air conditioning in Saudi Arabia. The people who visited Hajj this time have described the heat as in-escapable and oppressive.
Hajj, Saudi Arabia:
Hajj is a source of prestige of the Saudi government. About 1.8 million pilgrims made their prayers on that day. It is believed that every able-bodied Muslim should complete the Hajj once in their lifetime. The rituals include walking long distances and spending huge extended period of time outdoors. Only a set of pilgrims are permitted with visas to go each year with the Muslim-majority-country quota. However, hundreds of pilgrimages who are not permitted still visit and manage to participate on tourist visas with travel agents and operators.
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Ahmad Bahaa, an Egyptian Pilgrim who lives in Saudi Arabia, mentioned “the generators providing air conditioning stopped working because of the excess heat. Almost everyone was walking on the streets undocumented. The situation was heart-breaking to see.”
In a few images and videos that are going viral on the internet, pilgrims are seen showering their heads with cold water continuously to escape the scorching heat. Some, who walked miles in the deserted area and direct sunlight, either collapsed or died on the streets. Some pilgrims even reported about how they were ill and the authorities refused to help them medically. The unregistered pilgrims were denied the access of air conditioning also.
