Intense temperatures across the holy sites in Makkah in Saudi Arabia during the current Haj season led to deaths among pilgrims from various Arab countries due to heatstroke. However, authorities in the Kingdom have not officially announced the number of deaths.
In a statement on Saturday, June 15, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announced the death of six of its citizens while performing Haj rituals as a result of suffering from sunstroke.
The ministry indicated that competent authorities are collaborating with Saudi authorities on procedures for burying pilgrims and transporting the bodies of those whose families wish to be transported to Jordan.
It added that the six pilgrims were from “outside the official Jordanian Haj delegation.”
As per a report by Moroccan website Hespress, two pilgrims from Morocco died due to heat stress.
Five Tunisian pilgrims have died due to the extreme heat, according to the Tunisian daily Al Chouorouk.
On Saturday, June 15, a medical centre in Makkah treated 225 cases of heat stress and fatigue among Haj pilgrims suffering from heat exhaustion and heat stroke, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
