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Over 1,000 people from various countries have been killed by extreme heat at Mecca, the holiest site in Islam.
According to their local countries, at least 14 Malaysians, 165 Indonesians, 75 Jordanians, 35 Pakistanis, 49 Tunisians, 11 Iranians and 98 Indians have died. The United States government also mentioned that some of their citizens also died in the heat, but they didn't specify how many. Egypt confirmed that at least 500 to 600 of their citizens had also been killed by the heat. Dozens of other citizens from these countries have been hospitalized for heatstroke as well.
Muslims try to make an annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, and the date of this pilgrimage, called hajj, varies from year to year because in depends on the lunar calendar. This year, the five-year pilgrimage was between June 14 and June 19, and temperatures were scorching in the area. Much of Mecca experienced temperatures as high as 120˚F (49˚C), which caused most of the hundreds of deaths. Multiple other assorted health issues, such as heart disease and pneumonia, also killed many pilgrims.
Unfortunately, the death toll is expected to rise. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have not released official death tolls yet, and these tolls only include registered pilgrims. Many others came unregistered, meaning that the death toll could be well over 1,500 or even 2,000. However, this isn't the first time hundreds of pilgrims have died during the journey. The pilgrimage is known to be quite dangerous, as 200 people died last year as well. In 2015, at least 700 people were killed after a stampede, and another 100 were killed after a crane collapsed. Around 360 people died in 2006 in a crush, and another 340 were killed in 1997 after a fire. The most deadly disaster at Mecca has been in 1990, where over 1,420 people were killed in a stampede, but this could soon top that. This is an ongoing story and we will keep you updated with the death toll in upcoming daily updates.
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