Source: At least 1,301 people died during Hajj – Saudi Arabia
At least 1,301 people died during Hajj, Saudi Arabia says, mostly unauthorised pilgrims who walked long distances in intense heat.
This year’s pilgrimage took place during a heatwave, with temperatures at times exceeding 50C (122F).
More than three-quarters of those who died did not have official permits to be there and walked under direct sunlight without adequate shelter, the official Saudi news agency SPA said.
Some of those who died were elderly or chronically ill, the agency added.
Health Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel said efforts had been made to raise awareness about the dangers of heat stress and how pilgrims could mitigate this.
Health facilities treated nearly half a million pilgrims, including more than 140,000 who did not have a permit, he said, and some were still in hospital for heat exhaustion.
Saudi Arabia has been criticised for not doing more to make the Hajj safer, especially for unregistered pilgrims who have no access to facilities such as air conditioned tents and official Hajj transport.
Temperatures in Mecca climbed as high as 51.8C, according to Saudi Arabia’s national meteorological centre.
Countries across the world have been giving updates on the number of their citizens who died, but Saudi Arabia had not commented publicly on the deaths or provided an official toll until Sunday.
AFP news agency quoted an Arab diplomat as saying 658 Egyptians had died. Indonesia said more than 200 of its nationals lost their lives, while India gave a death toll of 98 people.
Pakistan, Malaysia, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Sudan and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region have also confirmed deaths.
沙特阿拉伯称，朝觐期间至少有 1,301 人死亡，其中大部分是未经许可在酷热中长途跋涉的朝圣者。 今年的朝圣活动正值热浪期间，气温有时超过 50 摄氏度（122 华氏度）。 沙特官方通讯社 SPA 称，超过四分之三的死者没有官方许可，在阳光直射下行走，没有足够的保护。 该通讯社说，其中一些死者是老年人或患有慢性病。 卫生部长法赫德·贾拉杰勒表示，我们已努力提高人们对热应激危险以及朝圣者如何缓解热应激的认识。 他说，卫生机构收治了近 50 万朝圣者，其中包括超过 14 万没有许可证的朝圣者，其中一些人仍因中暑而住院。沙特阿拉伯因没有采取更多措施使朝觐更加安全而受到批评，特别是对于未登记的朝觐者，他们无法使用空调帐篷和官方朝觐交通工具等设施。 据沙特阿拉伯国家气象中心称，麦加的气温高达 51.8 摄氏度。 世界各国一直在更新其公民的死亡人数，但沙特阿拉伯直到周日才公开评论死亡人数或提供官方死亡人数。 法新社援引一名阿拉伯外交官的话说，有658名埃及人死亡。印度尼西亚称有 200 多名国民丧生，印度则称死亡人数为 98 人。 巴基斯坦、马来西亚、约旦、伊朗、塞内加尔、苏丹和伊拉克库尔德斯坦自治区也已确认死亡。
