Saudi Arabia on Monday warned of extreme temperatures in Mecca where more than a dozen heat-related deaths were confirmed at the major Muslim pilgrimage. This annual rite, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, took place again this year in summer, a particularly hot season in Saudi Arabia. More than 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” were recorded on Sunday alone, the Ministry of Health said at the end of the great pilgrimage.
“We advise God’s guests not to expose themselves to the sun”
On Monday, temperatures were expected to reach up to 49 degrees Celsius in Mecca, Islam’s first holiest city, where pilgrims were completing the hajj. Some went around the Kabaa, a cubic construction in the center of the Great Mosque, while others completed the ritual of stoning Satan in the nearby Mina valley. +”The holy places today record the highest temperatures since the start of the hajj which can reach 49 degrees, and we advise God’s guests not to expose themselves to the sun,” said the Ministry of Health, according to state television channel El-Ekhbariya.
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that 14 Jordanian pilgrims had died “after suffering sunstroke due to the extreme heat wave”, and that 17 others were “missing”. Tehran reported the death of five Iranian pilgrims, without specifying the cause of their death, while Dakar said three Senegalese pilgrims had died.
Apply simple tips
“Prevention is important, and pilgrims should not go out during the hottest hours, unless necessary, or use an umbrella,” stressed the Saudi Ministry of Health in a statement cited by El-Ekhbariya. “Our health instructions for the days to come are clear and simple: carry an umbrella, drink water regularly and avoid exposure to the sun,” he added.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims who can afford it must perform it at least once. This year, the hajj attracted around 1.8 million pilgrims, including 1.6 million from abroad, according to Saudi authorities.