Relatives of pilgrims who went missing during the hajj in Saudi Arabia searched hospitals on Wednesday, fearing the worst after the death of more than 900 worshipers during this major annual Muslim pilgrimage, most due to the heatwave.
The majority of pilgrims killed during last week’s hajj in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city in western Saudi Arabia, are of Egyptian nationality.
According to an Arab diplomat, the Egyptian death toll at the hajj has risen to at least 600. “All deaths [nouvellement annoncés] are due to the heat,” he told AFP, as temperatures reached 51.8°C.
Previously, other diplomats reported at least 323 Egyptians died during the hajj, which was attended by around 1.8 million people this year, most of them from abroad.
The new Egyptian toll brings to 922 the total number of deaths recorded so far at the hajj, according to an AFP count based on data provided by different countries.
Mabrouka bint Salem Shoushana, from Tunisia, a septuagenarian, has been missing since the highlight of Saturday’s pilgrimage to Mount Arafat, her husband, Mohammed, told AFP.
Because she was not registered and did not have an official permit for the hajj, she was unable to access the air-conditioned facilities that allow pilgrims to cool off after hours of outdoor prayers, he said. -he explains.
“She was so hot and she had no place to sleep. I looked for him in all the hospitals. And until now I don’t know anything about her.”
Social networks flooded
He’s far from the only one in desperate need of information.
Facebook and other social media sites have been flooded with photos of missing people and requests for information.
Ghada Mahmoud Dawoud, an Egyptian woman, has been missing since Saturday.
“I received a call from her daughter in Egypt asking me to post a message on Facebook that could help find her,” said a family friend based in Saudi Arabia, who requested anonymity.
“We did not find her on the dead list, which gives us hope that she is still alive. »
Scorching heat
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim who can afford it must do it at least once in their life.
The dates of the hajj are determined according to the Muslim calendar, based on lunar cycles, and the rituals have taken place in recent years in scorching temperatures.
This pilgrimage is increasingly being impacted by climate change, a Saudi study published in May warned that temperatures at sites where the rituals take place are increasing by 0.4°C every ten years.
Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims attempt to perform the hajj through irregular means because they cannot afford the often expensive official permits.
In addition to the Egyptian deaths, 60 Jordanian deaths were announced by Arab diplomats.
Deaths have also been confirmed in Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia and Iraqi Kurdistan. An Asian diplomat reported “68 deaths” among Indian pilgrims.
Diplomats said the day before that 550 bodies had been transported to the Al-Muaisem morgue, one of the largest in Mecca.
Saudi authorities said on Sunday they had treated more than 2,000 pilgrims suffering from heat stress, without providing information on deaths.
Houria Sharif, a 70-year-old Egyptian woman, has been missing since she prayed on Mount Arafat on Saturday.
“We’ve knocked on lots of doors, but we haven’t found her until now,” a friend said.