As many as 98 Indians have died due to extreme heat during the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Friday (June 21).
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a press briefing that 187 people died during the annual pilgrimage last year.
This year, 1,75,000 Indian pilgrims visited Mecca for Haj. The Grove season is from May 9 to July 22. So far this year, 98 deaths have been reported,” he said.
“The deaths were due to natural causes, chronic diseases and old age. Six people died on Arafat Day and four were accident-related deaths,” Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
Tolls exceed 1000 with daytime temperatures rising above 50 degrees
The death toll during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia has surpassed 1,000 in the sweltering heat this year, the AFP news agency reported on Thursday (June 20).
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Of the reported deaths, more than half were unregistered worshipers who perished in the extreme heat while performing annual rituals in the holy city of Mecca.
An Arab diplomat said the new deaths reported on Thursday (June 20) included 58 Egyptians, bringing the total to 658 who died in the extreme heat, 630 of them had not been registered pilgrims
Nearly 1.8 million people from around the world visit Mecca each year to participate in the mostly outdoor pilgrimage. The Hajj is considered one of the five pillars of Islam, and Muslims with the means are encouraged to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Saudi authorities say temperatures in the city have risen by 0.4 degrees every decade, heaping more suffering on worshippers.
