This year’s Hajj trip has been hampered by an extreme temperature, resulting in the deaths of at least 90 Indian citizens, sources informed India Today on Thursday.
645 persons have been reported dead as of now, according to a count by news agency.
The bulk of deaths, according to the reports, were caused by heatwaves.
“No accident has been reported,” the source said.
Earlier, an Arab diplomat, on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that at least 68 Indian nationals died during the Hajj pilgrimage, AFP reported. “Some are because of natural causes, and we had many old-aged pilgrims. And some are due to the weather conditions, that’s what we assume,” he said.
There are also reportedly a number of missing Indians.
Arab officials verified earlier on Tuesday that at least 550 pilgrims have perished this year, with the majority of deaths being attributed to Mecca’s extreme heat, according to news agency.
This year, around 1.8 million pilgrims from all over the world came to the pilgrimage.
One of the five pillars of Islam is the hajj pilgrimage, which every Muslim who has the means to do so must perform at least once in their lifetime.
There was an intense heatwave during this year’s trip, with temperatures rising above 50 degrees Celsius—the hottest in recent memory.
The pilgrimage area’s temperatures have increased by 0.4 degrees Celsius every ten years, according to a Saudi research. In 2023, the Hajj claimed the lives of over 200 pilgrims, and temperatures as high as 48 degrees Celsius caused stress to nearly 2,000 people.
