This year, ninety-eight Indian pilgrims have died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, the government announced on Friday. The Ministry of External Affairs reported that all these deaths were attributed to "natural illness and old age."
The Ministry elaborated that a significant number of Indian pilgrims participate in Hajj each year. This year, approximately 175,000 Indian pilgrims have travelled to Saudi Arabia for Hajj. The core Hajj period spans from July 9 to 22. As of now, 98 Indian pilgrims have died, all due to natural causes and age-related illnesses, the Ministry stated. For comparison, the death toll last year was 187.
This year, over 1,000 pilgrims have died during Hajj amidst intense heat conditions in Mecca, as reported by AFP. Notably, 658 Egyptian pilgrims have died, with 630 of them being unregistered pilgrims, according to an Arab diplomat. Additionally, countries such as Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, and Tunisia have also reported deaths among their pilgrims.
Many pilgrims are currently missing, and social media platforms like Facebook are filled with posts and photos seeking information about the missing individuals.
The Hajj pilgrimage, a vital religious duty and one of the five pillars of Islam, requires all Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey at least once in their lifetime.
This year’s Hajj was marked by an extreme heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, the highest recorded in recent decades. A Saudi study has indicated that temperatures in the pilgrimage area have been increasing by 0.4 degrees Celsius per decade. In 2023, over 200 pilgrims died during Hajj, and more than 2,000 individuals experienced heat-related stress as temperatures soared to 48 degrees Celsius.
