EXTREME heat marred an annual tradition sacred to Muslims killing hundreds of pilgrims during the week-long gathering in Saudi Arabia.
Traveling to Mecca, the holiest place of Muslim cities, is a dream come true and a sacred obligation in Islamic religion. However, this year’s pilgrimage was plagued by intense heat that claimed hundreds of lives in less than a week.
Videos of dead bodies scattered in the streets beside piles of rubbish are making rounds on social media.
Pilgrims were seen passing by several bodies covered in white cloth while some of the elderly ones were seen propped up in a wheelchair.
The five-day pilgrimage required hundreds of thousands of people to walk from one site to another under extreme heat, causing many to collapse and require medical assistance, particularly the elderly ones.
This year’s pilgrimage claimed the lives of 920 people due to intense heat as temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius in Saudi Arabia.
Fatalities were reported from Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, and Kurdistan.
Relatives scoured hospitals and even asked for help online to search for their loved ones.
Amid scenes of despair, the annual event became an emotional moment for a family separated by war in Syria, after they finally reunited in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj together.
Meanwhile, 130-year-old Sarhoda Setiti who flew all the way from Algeria via Saudi Airlines was the eldest pilgrim to perform Hajj in the kingdom this year.
Hajj started on the 14th of June and ended on the 19th. It is one of the five pillars of Islam which every adult Muslim is expected to perform at least once in their lifetime.
The oil-rich kingdom has spent billions of dollars on crowd control and safety measures.
Saudi’s tropical desert climate makes it one of the hottest countries worldwide but the extreme heatwave made it all the more unbearable and a challenging journey for millions of pilgrims who flew to Mecca this year.
