The death toll from the heatwave in Saudi Arabia, among pilgrims performing the 2024 Hajj, has risen to 922, according to a tally by the Agence France-Presse (AFP)
The AFP said most of those killed by the extreme weather conditions are Egyptians, with 600 deaths so far recorded.
It said many old and infirm, took part in the days-long, mostly outdoor pilgrimage, held this year during the oven-like Saudi summer.
“Relatives scoured hospitals and pleaded online for news, fearing the worst after temperatures hit 51.8°C in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, on Monday.
“Facebook and other social media networks have been flooded with pictures of the missing and requests for information.”
It said in addition to Egypt, fatalities have also been confirmed by Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, though in many cases authorities have not specified the cause.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has stated that only three Nigerians died during the period.
Speaking during the post Arafat meeting in Makkah, NAHCON’s Head of Medical Team, Abubakar Adamu Ismail, said the low number was recorded due to adequate preparation
While noting that 17 pilgrims suffered heat stroke during the period, he said they were able to be resuscitated due to their closeness to Nigeria’s hajj camp.
“if the patients had the diagnosis in Jamarat, which is about 3 kilometres to the camps, they would have died,” he stated.
Ismail, however, added that two pregnant women suffered miscarriages during the period with 25 cases of severe dehydration and five cardiac arrests.
