Arab diplomats said yesterday, Tuesday, that at least 550 people died during the Hajj, including 323 Egyptians, due to heat exhaustion. Saudi official television said that temperatures rose on Monday to 51.8 degrees Celsius in the shade at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
A previous study conducted by the Journal of Travel and Medicine concluded that the rise in global temperatures may exceed what strategies for dealing with the heat anticipate.
The Tunisian Africa News Agency also said on Tuesday that 35 male and female pilgrims died while performing the Hajj rituals. The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that it had issued 41 burial permits to Jordanians. The Ministry had previously said that at least 6 of its citizens died from sunstroke during Hajj.
Iranian media said that 11 Iranians were killed and 24 pilgrims were taken to hospital. On Tuesday, Indonesian Ministry of Health data showed that 144 Indonesians died during Hajj.
The Saudi authorities issued a warning to pilgrims about the high temperatures and advised them to keep their bodies hydrated and avoid going out during the hottest hours of the day between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that the total number of pilgrims this year 1445 AH reached (1,833,164) pilgrims, including (1,611,310) pilgrims who came from outside the Kingdom.
Killing temperatures!
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