Hajj death toll reaches 20

Agencies

A Nigerian pilgrim is among the 20 deaths that were recorded during this year’s Hajj – the annual holy pilgrimage to Makkah.

Fourteen Jordanians and five Iranians died on Sunday due to sunstroke as temperatures in the holy city reached 47°C and 45°C where the pilgrims had gone for the symbolic stoning of the devil at the Jamarat.

Saudi officials promptly stopped pilgrims from proceeding to the Jamarat Bridge from 11 am to 4 pm.

“Dear pilgrim, in regards to the health warning regarding heat stress and heat strokes based on observations by the National Center of Meteorology, we kindly ask you to adhere to the preventive measures issued, which include avoiding going to the Jamarat facility and staying out of direct sunlight from 11 am to 4 pm for your safety and the safety of all pilgrims,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Affairs.

The authorities further pilgrims to take measures to protect themselves from sweltering temperatures with the kingdom’s Health minister, ​Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel​, issuing an advisory to the pilgrims to hydrate, use an umbrella for protection from the sun and stay away from hot surfaces which temperatures fears to rise to 48°C.

At least 2,764 cases of heat exhaustion and sunstroke were handled by medical teams on Sunday, which the Saudi authorities blamed on non-adherence to guidelines by some pilgrims.

Cooler Hajj predicted

Next year’s Hajj will be the last during the summer season, the Saudi National Meteorological Center (NMC) has predicted. Hussein Al-Qahtani, the NMC spokesman said, “The Hajj season will enter a new phase of climate change during the year 2026. We will not witness summer Hajj until after 17 years.”