Hajj Death Toll: 98 Indian pilgrims dead, MEA says

As many as 98 pilgrims have lost their lives in Hajj this year owing to the extreme heat conditions, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

"A large number of pilgrims visit Hajj every year. This year, 175,000 Indian pilgrims have visited Hajj so far. We have 98 Indian pilgrims who have died this year," said MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a weekly briefing.

In Mecca, temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit), on Monday.


About 1.8 million people from all over the world, many old and infirm, took part in the days-long, mostly outdoor pilgrimage, which this year fell during the oven-like Saudi summer, as per AFP.

Scorching heat
The hajj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, requires all Muslims who are able to undertake it at least once in their lives. Scheduled according to the Islamic lunar calendar, its timing shifts annually within the Gregorian calendar.

In recent years, these predominantly outdoor rituals have coincided with the intense heat of the Saudi summer. A recent Saudi study reported a temperature increase of 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade in the region.

Beyond Egypt, fatalities have also been reported in Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, and Iraq's Kurdistan region, although specific causes have not been consistently disclosed by authorities.