At least 1,301 pilgrims have died during the Hajj this year due to heat wave and unbearable heat. Most of these people who died were unauthorized pilgrims.

This information was given in a report on Monday (June 24).

According to the report, at least 1,301 people died during this year’s Hajj, according to Saudi Arabia. Most of the dead were unauthorized pilgrims who had walked long distances in the scorching heat.

This year’s Hajj has been held amid intense heat waves, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 50 degrees Celsius in the Middle Eastern country.

Three-quarters of those who died did not have official permission to be there and walked into the direct heat of the sun without adequate shelter and equipment, the official Saudi news agency SPA said.

The news agency also reported that some of those who died were elderly or chronically ill.

Saudi Arabia’s Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel said efforts were made to raise awareness about the dangers of intense heat waves and how pilgrims can mitigate heat-related stress.

He said that during Hajj, around 500,000 pilgrims were treated in hospitals and health facilities, including more than 140,000 pilgrims who did not have a Hajj permit. Some of those who did get sick are still in the hospital for heat exhaustion.

Fahad Al-Jalazl said, ‘May God forgive and have mercy on the dead. Our sincere condolences to their families.

Saudi Arabia has been criticized for not taking more steps to make the Hajj safer, particularly for unregistered pilgrims who do not have access to facilities such as air-conditioned tents and official Hajj transport, the BBC says.

According to data from Saudi Arabia’s National Meteorological Center, the temperature in Mecca rose to 51.8 degrees Celsius during the Hajj. Many countries around the world have since updated their citizens on the death toll, but Saudi Arabia had not publicly commented on the death toll or provided an official death toll until Sunday.

The news agency AFP quoted an Arab diplomat as saying that 658 Egyptians died during this year’s Hajj. Indonesia said more than 200 of its citizens had lost their lives, and India also reported 98 deaths.

Apart from this, Pakistan, Malaysia, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Sudan and the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq have also confirmed the death of their Hajids.