At least 90 Indians died during the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, which has been marked by an intense heatwave this year. Saudi Arabia has not provided information on fatalities, though it reported more than 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” on June 19 alone.
The total number of deaths so far is 645, according a AFP report. Majority of the deaths were related to heatwaves.
Earlier, a diplomat in Saudi Arabia said that 68 Indian nationals died during the hajj pilgrimage this year bringing the overall tally to more than 600.
“We have confirmed around 68 dead... Some are because of natural causes and we had many old-age pilgrims. And some are due to the weather conditions, that's what we assume,” the diplomat told AFP.
Videos have emerged showing unattended bodies on the streets, highlighting the crisis. Authorities are working to support affected families and manage the situation. Facebook and other social media networks have been flooded with pictures of the missing and requests for information.
Around 18 lakh people from across the globe attended the pilgrimage this year.
This year’s pilgrimage witnessed a scorching heatwave with temperatures crossing 50 degrees Celsius, which are the highest in recent decades.
A Saudi study revealed that temperatures in the pilgrimage area have risen by 0.4 degrees Celsius per decade. In 2023, more than 200 pilgrims died during Hajj, and over 2,000 individuals suffered from heat-related stress as temperatures soared to 48 degrees Celsius.
Last year more than 200 pilgrims were reported dead, most of them from Indonesia.
Fatalities have also been confirmed by Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia and Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, though in many cases authorities have not specified the cause.
The hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims with means have to fulfil this religious obligation at least once in their lifetime.