Over 1,300 pilgrims died during Hajj, Saudi authorities say
June 23, 2024
Over 1,300 pilgrims have died during this year's Hajj season, Saudi authorities have said, adding that the majority were "unauthorized" pilgrimed who accessed the holy sites via an illegal route.
Temperatures in Mecca reached nearly 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) during Hajj seasonImage: FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images
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Over 1,300 pilgrims died while performing Hajj this year, Saudi Health Minister Fahad bin Abdurrahman al-Jalajel said on Sunday.
In statements carried by the Saudi state news agency SPA, Jalajel said that 83% of those who died were not authorized to perform the ritual.
"[They] walked long distances under the sunlight, with no adequate shelter or rest," Jalajel described the unregistered pilgrims. "They included a number of elderly and chronically sick."
He added that Saudi health authorities "provided more than 465,000 specialized treatment services, including 141,000 services to those who didn't obtain official authorization to perform hajj."
What is the Hajj?
One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca every Muslim is required to do at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically able. Here are the key things you need to know.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Hamra
Millions of Muslim pilgrims
The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the most holy city for Muslims. All Muslims are expected to perform this religious duty at least once in their lifetime, if they are physically and financially able. It's one of the five pillars of Islam, or core ritual practices, and considered to be the largest gathering of people in the world, with millions attending every year.
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Following the prophet
As many as 3 million pilgrims perform a series of rituals over the course of five or six days. First, they stop to pray at the Grand Mosque, home to a cubic building draped in black silk called the Kaaba, Islam's most important shrine.
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Stoning the devil
Pilgrims travel to the village of Mina to again pray and read from the Quran. Next they spend a day at Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad gave his final sermon, to ask for forgiveness. On their return journey to Mecca, the pilgrims stop on a plain called Muzdalifah to collect stones, which they will throw at three pillars in Mina to symbolically stone the devil.
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Circling Kaaba
Finally, upon returning to Mecca, the pilgrims will circle the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque seven times, bringing their Hajj to a close. They then shave their heads and perform an animal sacrifice before celebrating the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Hamra
Tragedy during Hajj
Since 1987, more than 5,800 people have died in building collapses, stampedes, trampling and fires. In 2015, a stampede resulted in around 2,400 deaths, making it the worst catastrophe in the history of the Hajj. The pilgrimage is also a hotbed of infectious disease, as pilgrims from every corner of the planet often trek around in the heat barefoot and share tight sleeping quarters.
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Bringing the new to the old
While the Hajj is the oldest and most sacred ritual of Islam, it has also been brought into the 21st century. The Saudi government is using the latest in crowd-control techniques to prevent trampling and architectural collapses. On YouTube, they telecast live Hajj feeds and now, Google, iTunes and other sites have come out with apps to help pilgrims better understand and perform the Hajj rituals.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Hamra
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Still, many are questioning the unusually large number of pilgrims who died during the event.
Temperatures in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, rose to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) during the course of the annual event, which started late last week.
Some governments have also blamed travel agents who facilitated Hajj journeys for an overly large number of pilgrims, saying they provided them with illegal visas. Such pilgrims have been described by Saudi Arabia as "unauthorized."
