Soaring temperatures scorch pilgrims on Hajj in Saudi Arabia

Crowds of tightly packed pilgrims struggled through searing heat which has claimed lives during the annual Hajj pilgrimage as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit) in the shade of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi state TV said on Tuesday.

Six Jordanian citizens died of heat stroke during Hajj, the Jordanian foreign ministry said. It later said the death toll had risen to 14 but it gave no reason for the subsequent deaths.

Eleven Iranians have died and 24 have been hospitalized during the pilgrimage, Iranian state news outlet IRINN said on Tuesday without giving the cause of death.

Three Senegalese citizens also died during Haj, Agence de Presse Sénégalaise, said on Monday.

One hundred and thirty six Indonesian citizens died during Hajj, three of heat stroke, according to an Indonesian health official, Le Monde reported on Monday.

Stampedes, tent fires and other accidents have caused hundreds of deaths during Hajj in the past 30 years, forcing the Saudi government to build new infrastructure. The authorities now face new challenges protecting pilgrims from extreme heat.


Reuters