A British Imam described the scenes as 'harrowing' and said that it was impossible for pilgrims to walk through the streets and not to see people suffering from the heat.
The death toll at the hajj pilgrim has exceeded 1,000 after a brutal heatwave saw temperatures topping 50C at the world's biggest gathering of Muslims in Saudi Arabia .
The national meteorological centre reported a high of 51.8 degrees Celsius this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. 'There are so many stories from the pilgrims who are with me about what they saw in the streets, particularly last Sunday,' he told the BBC. Each year tens of thousands of pilgrims attempt to perform the hajj through irregular channels as they cannot afford the often costly procedures for official hajj visas.
'I think the Saudi authorities perhaps do need to start thinking about controlling the numbers of how many pilgrims come each and every year,' the British Imam said. A Saudi study published last month said temperatures in the area are rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade. This group was more vulnerable, because without official permits they could not access air-conditioned spaces provided for the 1.8 million authorised pilgrims to cool down.
'However, there are large numbers of Egyptian citizens who are not registered in hajj databases, which requires double the effort and a longer time to search for missing persons and find their relatives,' it said. The pilgrimage is increasingly affected by climate change, according to a Saudi study published last month
Muslim pilgrim arrive to perform the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' ritual during the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mina on June 16, 2024 Two diplomats told AFP Thursday that Saudi authorities had begun the burial process for dead pilgrims, cleaning the bodies and putting them in white burial cloth and taking them to be interred.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hajj pilgrim death toll passes 1,000 after brutal 50C heatwaveA British Imam described the scenes as 'harrowing' and said that it was impossible for pilgrims to walk through the streets and not to see people suffering from the heat.
Read more »
More than 550 Hajj pilgrims die as Mecca temperatures soar past 50CAt least 562 people have died during the haj, according to a Reuters tally based on foreign ministry statements and sources.
Read more »
More than 550 Hajj pilgrims die as Mecca temperatures soar past 50CAt least 562 people have died during the haj, according to a Reuters tally based on foreign ministry statements and sources.
Read more »
Katie Boulter: British No 1 guarantees a British finalist at Rothesay Open in NottinghamDefending champion Katie Boulter guaranteed there will be a British finalist in Nottingham again after defeating Magdalena Frech in a rain-hit contest.
Read more »
British Diving Championships: Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix wins British title to secure Paris spotAndrea Spendolini-Sirieix wins the individual women’s 10m platform final at the British Diving Championships to secure her place in the event at the Olympics in Paris this summer.
Read more »
British Diving Championships: Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix wins British title to secure Paris spotAndrea Spendolini-Sirieix wins the individual women’s 10m platform final at the British Diving Championships to secure her place in the event at the Olympics in Paris this summer.
Read more »