Death toll tops 1,000 after hajj marked by extreme heat - report

As Mecca temperatures hit 120 Fahrenheit, over 1.8 million people are taking part in this year’s Hajj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, according to the Riyadh

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Muslim pilgrims use umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun as they arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
Muslim pilgrims use umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun as they arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, June 18, 2024.AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool

The death toll from this year's hajj exceeded 1,000 people, an AFP tally said on Thursday. More than half of them are said to be unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Around 10 countries have reported 1,081 deaths during the annual pilgrimage that is one of the five pillars of Islam. All Muslims with the means must complete it at least once.

AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File
Muslim pilgrims walk around the Kaaba during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File

Deaths have been confirmed by Malaysia, India, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, Sudan and Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

The national meteorological centre reported the temperature of 125 Fahrenheit this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

AP Photo/Amr Nabil
A Saudi police helicopter patrols over Namira Mosque in Arafat, on the second day of the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on July 8, 2022.AP Photo/Amr Nabil

Each year tens of thousands of pilgrims attempt to perform the hajj through irregular channels as they cannot afford the costly official permits. This group is more vulnerable to the heat: without the permit, people cannot access air-conditioned spaces provided by Saudi authorities for the 1.8 million authorized pilgrims.

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