Over 1,000 haj pilgrims die as mercury hits 51.8 deg C

Search for missing loved ones goes on; many of the dead are unregistered pilgrims

The death toll from the 2024 haj exceeds 1,000, an AFP tally said on June 20, with unregistered pilgrims making up more than half of those who perished amid intense heat.

The new deaths reported included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that of a total of 658 dead from that country, 630 were unregistered.

Friends and relatives have been searching for missing haj pilgrims as the death toll rises at the annual rituals, which were carried out in scorching heat. People scoured hospitals and pleaded online for news, fearing the worst after temperatures hit 51.8 deg C in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, on June 17.

About 1.8 million people from all over the world, many old and infirm, took part in the days-long, mostly outdoor pilgrimage, held during the oven-like 2024 Saudi summer. Around 10 countries have reported 1,081 deaths during the haj, with the figures coming from official statements or from diplomats working on their countries' responses.

An Arab diplomat told AFP that deaths among Egyptians alone had jumped to more than 600 from over 300 a day earlier, mostly from the unforgiving heat.

Facebook and other social media networks have been flooded with pictures of the missing and requests for information. Those searching for news include family and friends of Egyptian pilgrim Ghada Mahmoud Ahmed Dawood, unaccounted for since June 15.