Fourteen Jordanian pilgrims died as they carried out rituals associated to the hajj, a holy journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that Muslims are inspired to take as soon as of their lives, Jordan’s official information company mentioned on Sunday.
The pilgrims died because of publicity to excessive solar and warmth, the company mentioned, based mostly on a report from Jordan’s Overseas Ministry. In Mecca, temperatures reached practically 110 levels Fahrenheit on Sunday, and current research have indicated that local weather change will improve well being dangers there.
A further 17 pilgrims have been lacking, the company mentioned.
The hajj is likely one of the largest mass gatherings on this planet, with Muslim pilgrims touring from close to and much for the religious expertise, which can also be a bodily and psychological problem.
This yr, the hajj began on Friday and can finish on Wednesday; 1.8 million pilgrims have been anticipated to participate, in line with the Normal Authority for Statistics, a Saudi authorities company.
The Saudi Press Company reported on Saturday that the nation’s medical heart for warmth exhaustion had handled 225 pilgrims for warmth stress and fatigue.
Deaths have additionally occurred throughout earlier pilgrimages, together with from stampedes. In 2015, greater than 700 folks died from a stampede. Many pilgrims, who are sometimes older, have additionally skilled warmth stress lately, with scores dying from the warmth.
The pilgrimage is likely one of the 5 pillars of the Muslim religion, and most of the rituals happen outside, in Mecca and the encompassing desert. These rituals embrace praying outdoors the Nice Mosque of Mecca and spending the day in prayer at Mount Arafat, typically underneath the blazing solar.
Scientists have warned that climate situations shall be extreme when the hajj, which follows the lunar calendar, falls in the course of the summer time, because it did this yr.
Reduction measures have helped cut back instances of warmth stress, scientists say. The Saudi authorities have used water mist sprays to chill the air, they mentioned, and so they have supplied water, umbrellas and air-conditioned transportation for the pilgrims.
Vivian Nereim contributed reporting from Riyadh.
