The total death toll during this year’s Hajj season grew to more than 900 people, the majority of whom were Egyptians, with most deaths linked to the hot weather. Many are still searching for their families and friends who went missing during the pilgrimage.
An Arab diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday that the number of deaths among Egyptian pilgrims had increased to “at least 600,” following earlier reports of at least 323 Egyptian deaths by two other Arab diplomats.
He remarked that Egyptian officials in Saudi Arabia have obtained “1,400 reports of missing persons so far,” which includes the earlier-mentioned deaths. He added, “All new deaths were caused by the heat.”
At the start of this week, temperatures in Mecca reached 51.8 degrees Celsius.
The number of Egyptian deaths brings the total death toll during this Hajj season to at least 922, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse based on numbers reported by the concerned countries and diplomats, most of whom did not explain the causes. In addition to Egyptians, this number includes 132 Indonesians, 68 Indians, 60 Jordanians, 35 Tunisians, 13 from Iraqi Kurdistan, 11 Iranians, and 3 Senegalese.
An Asian diplomat in Saudi Arabia confirmed to AFP on Wednesday: “We have about 68 confirmed deaths among Indian pilgrims, some due to natural causes as there were many elderly pilgrims, and some due to weather conditions, we assume.” He continued, “This happens every year. We cannot say that this number is abnormally high this year,” adding, “It is somewhat similar to last year, but we will know more in the coming days.”
Last year, more than 200 pilgrims died, most of them from Indonesia.
The Saudi Ministry of Health declared on Sunday that it had recorded “2,764 cases of heat exhaustion due to high temperatures in the holy sites, exposure to the sun, and failure to adhere to guidelines.” Nevertheless, it did not provide information about the deaths.
The Hajj season, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, is increasingly impacted by climate change. A Saudi study reported that the temperature in the region rises by 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade.
This year, as in 2023, more than 1.8 million pilgrims performed the rituals, including 1.6 million from outside the Kingdom, according to Saudi authorities.
Fear of the Worst
Friends and families of missing pilgrims search clinics in Saudi Arabia and post appeals on social media, gripped by extreme fear as the death toll mounts.
Tunisian Mabrouka bint Salem Shoshana, in her early seventies, has been missing since Saturday at the height of the rituals on Mount Arafat, as confirmed by her husband, Mohammed, to Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.
Mohammed stated she did not have an official Hajj permit, so she was incapable of accessing the air-conditioned facilities where registered pilgrims rest. He confirmed that she was “an elderly woman… She was feeling extremely tired from the intense heat and had no place to sleep,” adding, “I searched for her in all the hospitals, but there was no trace of her at all. I have no idea where she could be.”
Mohammed is one of many attempting to obtain information about their loved ones. Social networking sites are filled with pictures of missing persons and appeals for any information about them.
Among them is the family of Egyptian pilgrim Ghada Mahmoud Ahmed Dawoud, who has been missing since Saturday. A family friend living in Saudi Arabia, without revealing her name, said, “My friend in Egypt called me and notified me that her mother was missing and begged me to post any information to help search for her.”
She added, “The good news is that so far we have not discovered her name on the list of deceased pilgrims, which gives us hope that she is still alive.”
Another Arab diplomat told AFP on Wednesday that Jordanian officials are searching for 20 missing pilgrims, stating that 80 others were found in hospitals after initially being reported missing.
“We Didn’t Find Her”
The Kingdom allows Hajj to be performed exclusively by residents with permits and foreigners with specialized visas. Nevertheless, its expansion in issuing general visas since 2019 has opened a wider scope for performing Hajj in a less expensive, but illegal, way for thousands of foreigners.
“For people on a tourist visa, it is as if they are on a migration path with no idea what to expect,” stated Omar Karim, an expert on Saudi affairs at the University of Birmingham.
An Arab diplomat told Agence France-Presse that the majority of Egyptian pilgrims who died were “irregular.”
Even pilgrims with permits face many perils. One such pilgrim is 70-year-old Egyptian Houria Ahmed Abdullah Sharif, who went missing on Saturday. After praying on Mount Arafat, she told her friend that she wanted to go to the public bathroom to clean her abaya, but she never returned.
Her friend, without revealing her name, told AFP, “We began looking for her in the bathrooms, but we did not find her at all. We haven’t found her yet. We went to the police and hospitals, but there was no trace of her at all.”
She added, “We know many people who are looking for their families and relatives but are unable to find them. If they are found, they will be among the dead.”
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