At least 14 Jordanian citizens died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to intense heat, officials said.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said 14 of its nationals had died “from sunstroke due to the extreme heat wave” and 17 others were missing.
According to the AFP news agency, the Iranian Red Crescent confirmed that five Iranian pilgrims also lost their lives, but did not specify how they died.
Jordanian officials said the search continued for the missing people.
In a statement, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said it was coordinating with Saudi authorities on procedures for burial or transportation of the bodies of the deceased, depending on the wishes of their families.
The Hajj is one of the largest mass gatherings in the world. More than 1.8 million pilgrims are participating this year, according to Saudi officials.
But its history is marked by deadly disasters, including stampedes and tent fires. But most years the main challenge comes from the intense heat.
Temperatures exceeded 46C this week, making most rituals performed outdoors and on foot difficult, especially for the elderly.
The head of the Saudi National Meteorological Center, Ayman Ghulam, warned last week: “The expected weather for Hajj this year will be marked by an increase in average temperatures of 1.5 to 2 degrees (Celsius) above normal in Mecca and Medina. »
Both cities are at the heart of the Hajj pilgrimage, which lasts five days.
A treatment center near Mount Arafat recorded 225 cases of heat stress, the official Saudi Press Agency reported:
“It’s physically demanding, but it’s very spiritually charged,” Neron Khan, a Canadian pilgrim, told AFP.
She added that during some rituals, she found herself in “kind of a heat exhaustion situation.”
The pilgrimage will end on Wednesday. Saudi officials say that as part of heat mitigation measures, they have established many air-conditioned areas. They distribute water and give advice to pilgrims on how to protect themselves from the sun.
The Saudi Ministry of Health also issued an advisory asking pilgrims to stay hydrated and avoid being outside during the hottest hours of the day, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Last year, at least 240 people died. And in the worst Hajj disaster, a deadly crush in 2015 killed more than 2,000 people.
