Desperate search for missing Hajj pilgrims continues as death toll climbs to 900 in scorching Saudi heatwave
Desperate search for missing Hajj pilgrims continues as death toll climbs to 900 in scorching Saudi heatwave
Friends and family members frantically search for missing Hajj pilgrims as the death toll surpasses 900 from the annual rituals held in scorching heat in Saudi Arabia.
Relatives scour hospitals and appeal online for updates, fearing the worst as temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, on Monday.
Approximately 1.8 million people, including many elderly and infirm, participated in the days-long pilgrimage, predominantly conducted outdoors and coinciding with Saudi Arabia’s intense summer this year.
According to what an Arab diplomat disclosed to AFP, deaths among Egyptians alone had risen to “at least 600” due primarily to the extreme heat, bringing the total reported deaths to 922 according to AFP’s tally from various countries.
The diplomat also noted that Egyptian officials in Saudi Arabia had received reports of “1,400 missing pilgrims,” including those confirmed deceased.
Among the missing is Mabrouka bint Salem Shushana, a Tunisian pilgrim in her early 70s, who disappeared after the pilgrimage’s climax at Mount Arafat on Saturday. Her husband, Mohammed, lamented her absence, stating, “She’s an old lady. She was tired. She was feeling so hot, and she had no place to sleep. I looked for her in all the hospitals. Until now I don’t have a clue.”
Social media platforms like Facebook overflow with posts of missing pilgrims as families desperately seek information. Relatives of Ghada Mahmoud Ahmed Dawood, an Egyptian pilgrim missing since Saturday, implore for any leads. A family friend in Saudi Arabia commented, “I received a call from her daughter in Egypt begging me to put any post on Facebook that can help track her or find her.”
Hajj, one of Islam’s five pillars, mandates completion at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime, timed according to the lunar calendar, resulting in the pilgrimage often coinciding with Saudi Arabia’s sweltering summer.
A recent Saudi study indicates rising temperatures in the region, exacerbated by global warming, with fatalities reported from several countries including Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, and Iraq’s Kurdistan region, though causes remain unspecified by many authorities.
Saudi Arabia has not released official fatality figures but reported over 2,700 cases of heat exhaustion on Sunday alone. Last year, more than 200 pilgrims, mostly from Indonesia, died during Hajj.
The high cost of official permits compels tens of thousands to undertake Hajj through unofficial channels annually, a trend facilitated by Saudi Arabia’s introduction of a general tourism visa in 2019.
Even pilgrims with official permits face risks, exemplified by Houria Ahmad Abdallah Sharif, a 70-year-old Egyptian missing since Saturday after visiting Mount Arafat. Her friend lamented, “We’ve searched for her from door to door and we have not found her until now.”
Amidst the anguish, families continue their desperate search for loved ones, unsure of their fate amidst the pilgrimage’s tragic toll.
