Hajj 2024 Deaths : With over 1,000 deaths during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, people are arguing about whether poor organization, bad weather, or pilgrims forcing their way in caused the tragedy.
This week, social media in Arabic has been filled with disturbing images from Saudi Arabia. The photos and videos show people on their once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca, collapsed by the roadside or slumped in wheelchairs, seemingly close to death or already dead. They are wearing traditional white pilgrim clothing with their faces covered by cloth. In some pictures, bodies appear to be left where they fell.
A rumor on social media turned out to be true by the end of the weeklong Hajj pilgrimage: Hundreds of pilgrims have died in Saudi Arabia. This seems to be due to very high temperatures and a lack of shelter and water. During the Hajj in Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit). The event began late last week.
Approximately 1.8 million Muslims were anticipated to gather in Saudi Arabia for Hajj, one of the biggest religious events worldwide. Hajj is essential in Islam and every capable Muslim is required to perform it at least once in their life.
Sources within the Saudi Arabian Health Ministry informed Reuters that they had documented 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion.” However, this was before reports of deaths started coming out. Since then, the country has not provided any new official statistics.
According to the AFP news agency, which has been counting deaths from various sources and countries in recent days, more than 1,000 people have died.
People from Egypt, Indonesia, Senegal, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, India, and Tunisia have passed away, according to their governments. Egypt reported the highest number of deaths, likely exceeding 300 pilgrims. Indonesia’s Health Ministry also confirmed over 140 deaths among its citizens.
In recent years, Saudi authorities have worked to reduce the effects of hot summer weather on visitors. They’ve set up misting stations and water dispensers. Despite these efforts, it’s believed that most of the recent deaths are due to the heat. Many of the pilgrims who come for Hajj are elderly, as they see it as something important to do in their lifetime.
Desperate search for missing
More people might die. Friends and families are looking in Saudi hospitals or asking for help on social media to find loved ones who went to Mecca but are now missing.
“Honestly, Hajj this year was disgraceful,” said Ihlsa, a pilgrim from Aswan in southern Egypt, who chose not to share her full name with DW over WhatsApp. “It was really hard, especially during the stoning ritual. People were just falling down on the ground.”
During Hajj, pilgrims throw stones at three walls to symbolically reject the devil.
“Ihlsa told the security guards multiple times about a pilgrim who had fallen down. The distance to throw the stones was too far, and it was very hot because the sun was high.”
Who or what is to blame?
In the countries where the pilgrims come from, people are arguing angrily about who is responsible.
To perform Hajj, pilgrims must obtain official permission from Saudi Arabia to enter the country. Due to more Muslims wanting to come than there is space available, Saudi Arabia uses a quota system each year. Overcrowding and overheating have been significant issues in previous years.
Travel agencies typically help people visit Saudi Arabia, especially those connected to Muslim community groups or mosques. These agencies arrange places to stay, meals, and transportation in Mecca. Pilgrims who are registered usually stay in a group or camp organized by these travel agents in Mecca.
Some families of the victims are accusing Saudi authorities or their own governments of not being well-prepared or failing to offer adequate shelter from the intense heat.
Others have accused people who came to Mecca without registering. Saudi Director of Public Security Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Bassami reported earlier this week that more than 171,000 unregistered pilgrims were already in the country before Hajj started. Saudi security forces had already started a campaign to arrest anyone participating in Hajj illegally.
Pilgrims who are not registered can’t use the same facilities like air conditioning, water, shade, and cooling centers as those who are registered. This might have also led to some people getting hurt or becoming casualties.
‘Not enough tents’
DW interviewed a manager from a private tour company in Egypt. He has been organizing pilgrimages to Mecca for many years and was in Saudi Arabia this week. The manager declined to give his name because he was not allowed to talk to reporters.
“The temperatures were very hot, and people weren’t following rules and didn’t realize how dangerous the heat was,” he said during a phone call with DW. “Everyone was doing whatever they wanted, and the event was poorly organized. Also, there weren’t sufficient tents for everyone.”
“He said there wasn’t a stampede for sure. He remembered how people were happy to stand on Mount Arafat.”
“The way I see it, once people felt how hot it was and how strong the sun was, they should have stayed away from going all the way to the top,” the pilgrimage manager said. He added that many pilgrims don’t know they can stand on a lower slope to do the ritual instead.
“The pilgrimage manager explained that people should have avoided going to the top of the mountain when they felt how hot it was and how strong the sun was. He added that many pilgrims don’t realize they can perform the ritual on a lower slope instead. He continued, saying pilgrims need better education and awareness. He emphasized that while the state has responsibilities and bears some blame, some pilgrims showed a lack of awareness about how to perform Hajj rituals. For instance, he pointed out that the Saudi state can’t install sunshades on the top of Mount Arafat.”
As people blame each other and beg for assistance, one thing is clear: The Hajj will keep getting hotter. A study from 2019 looked into Saudi efforts to cool down pilgrims during the Hajj and found that while these efforts helped somewhat, climate change will inevitably increase temperatures each year, making the Hajj more dangerous.
This article was originally published on DW.
