At least 14 people have died in extreme heat during the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Another 17 are missing, the Foreign Ministry in Jordan said on Sunday, according to the state agency Petra.
The victims were Jordanians. The ministry had initially confirmed the deaths of six Jordanian pilgrims who had suffered heat stroke. The search is ongoing for the 17 missing people. Work is also underway to transport the bodies to Jordan and bury them.
The pilgrimage began in Mecca on Friday evening in scorching heat. In view of the extreme temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius, the authorities called on believers to carry umbrellas. They were also advised not to stay outside during the particularly hot midday hours and to drink plenty of water.
Last year, around two million pilgrims took part in the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the five basic duties of Islam. Buses and trains are already helping to bring the many believers to the holy sites, but the large crowds and extreme heat still pose a challenge for the pilgrims and law enforcement officers. In recent decades, there have also been several major tragedies, each with hundreds of deaths due to crowding.
