The tragedy in Mecca continues to be shocking, as the number of pilgrims who have died has risen to over 1,000. More than half of the victims are unregistered worshipers performing the annual pilgrimage in the extreme heat of Saudi Arabia. The new deaths were reported earlier in the week and include 658 people from Egypt, according to Arab diplomats.
According to reports, 630 of them were unregistered pilgrims, who, in order to avoid the high costs of travel and official permits, leave their countries without proper conditions in such extreme weather. According to the National Meteorological Center, the maximum temperature reached 51.8 degrees Celsius.
Every year thousands of pilgrims join the important religious pilgrimage. This year, the number of victims caused by high weather temperatures is very worrying. Countries as diverse as Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Kurdistan, Jordan, Iran, Tunisia and Senegal have recorded many deaths and identifying and locating people is made even more difficult because they are not registered in the official permit system.
Relatives, friends and family members of missing pilgrims search for their loved ones on the Internet, hospitals and morgues, because they do not have any information. Two Arab diplomats said that the authorities have started burial procedures for the pilgrims who have passed away.
"The burial was done by the Saudi authorities. They have their own system and procedures, so we just follow it," said one diplomat. Another person said it was impossible for families, especially Egyptian ones, to be notified of their relatives.
Saudi Arabia has not provided detailed information on the loss of life, but reported that more than 2,700 pilgrims had cases of “heat exhaustion” in just one day.In previous reports, the main cause of death has been said to be heat-related, or illness and condition caused by high temperatures.
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