About 1,000 people have died during Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Besides, many are still missing. Relatives of the missing are now searching for them.
It is still not completely certain why so many people died in this year’s Hajj. However, it is known from various sources that so many casualties have occurred due to heat wave and unbearable heat. Especially the pilgrims who did not have permission for Hajj suffered more casualties. Most of the deaths so far have been in Egypt.
“The number of ‘casualties’ was so high… we couldn’t breathe,” one man, Ahmad Baha, told the Washington Post.
37-year-old Ahmad Baha is a citizen of Egypt. Baha, an engineer by profession, lives in Saudi Arabia. This time he participated in Hajj.
Baha said there was a ‘horrific scene’ in Mecca. Those pilgrims who did not have permission did not get any facilities. Couldn’t even enter the AC tent to cool down. Due to this, they have become sick due to intense heat.
He said, “The ambulance was running continuously. People were being picked up from all sides, right and left. People slept on the streets. I saw one fall right in front of our tent. After that he could not even move.”
During Hajj there was unusual temperature
Hajj started from June 14. The Hajj ceremony continues for the next five days. Abnormal temperatures were observed in Makkah at this time. At one point the temperature reached 51.8 degrees Celsius. June is usually not that hot.
Besides Egypt, citizens of Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, Bangladesh and India are also in the list of dead pilgrims. According to the official data, 27 Bangladeshis have died while going to Mecca to perform Hajj.
