The death toll of Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia has climbed past 900 as a severe heatwave continues to affect the region.
Relatives of the pilgrims are searching hospitals and pleading online for news, fearing the worst as temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) in Mecca on Monday.
About 1.8 million people from around the world, including many elderly and infirm individuals, participated in the days-long, mostly outdoor pilgrimage, which this year coincided with Saudi Arabia’s extremely hot summer.
An Arab diplomat reported to AFP that the number of Egyptian deaths alone had increased to “at least 600,” from more than 300 the previous day, mainly due to the intense heat. This figure brings the total reported deaths so far to 922, according to an AFP tally of figures released by various countries.
The diplomat added that Egyptian officials in Saudi Arabia had received “1,400 reports of missing pilgrims,” including the 600 confirmed dead.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims who are able must perform it at least once in their lifetime. The timing of the Hajj is determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, causing it to shift forward each year in the Gregorian calendar. For the past several years, the pilgrimage has taken place during the sweltering Saudi summer.
A recent Saudi study indicated that temperatures in the area are increasing by 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) each decade.
In addition to the fatalities among Egyptian pilgrims, deaths have also been confirmed by Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, although many authorities have not specified the causes.
A second Arab diplomat told AFP that Jordanian officials are searching for 20 missing pilgrims, though 80 others who were initially reported missing have been located in hospitals. An Asian diplomat reported to AFP that there were “around 68 dead” from India, with others still missing.
“Some died because of natural causes and we had many old-age pilgrims. And some are due to the weather conditions, that’s what we assume,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has not provided specific information on fatalities but reported over 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” on Sunday alone. Last year, more than 200 pilgrims were reported dead, most of them from Indonesia.
