The homecoming of pilgrims who have completed the Hajj is usually an opportunity to celebrate with their loved ones. This year, however, hundreds of families in Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and Jordan are in mourning: More than a thousand pilgrims have died during the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which took place from Friday, June 14, to Wednesday, June 19, with the thermometer showing intense heat, topping 50°C on Monday.
Tragedies, such as a deadly crowd crush in 2015 (which led to more than 2,000 deaths), regularly occur during this major religious event, which brought together more than 1.8 million Muslims this year. Climate change threatens extreme conditions in the future.
The grim death toll, compiled by Agence France-Presse (AFP), is not official. It is based on figures supplied by the victims' countries of origin, over 10 countries thus far. Diplomats have reported the deaths of their compatriot pilgrims due to heatstrokes, heart attacks or complications linked to high blood pressure. Egyptians were the most numerous victims: Over 600 have died during this pilgrimage, which is the fifth pillar of Islam. On Egyptian social media, videos of bodies covered in shrouds and pilgrims in distress, overwhelmed by the heat, have sparked a wave of indignation and confusion.
On messaging apps, groups have been created between families living in Egypt and the country's diaspora in Saudi Arabia. These support networks have compiled lists of missing persons, and volunteers have searched Saudi hospitals for information on their whereabouts.
While cases of "heat exhaustion" have been reported during the Hajj, Riyadh has remained silent regarding the deaths. Saudi Arabia's official news agency reported on the "success" of this year's pilgrimage. "Saudi authorities usually take time to communicate the death toll [during the Hajj]. The kingdom is supposed to be the guardian of Islam: It considers it embarrassing to not be able to control such incidents, which expose it to criticism from Muslim countries," explained Irfan Al-Alawi, historian and executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation. "Many pilgrims have complained that the emergency services were not as swift as the government has claimed."
The suffocating heat endured by participants in the Hajj, whose dates vary from year to year according to the Islamic lunar calendar, has come at a time when temperatures at Mecca have already risen by almost 2°C over the past 30 years – well above the global average. Climate change risks exposing pilgrims to "extreme danger" in the future, when the Hajj once again takes place during the hottest summer months, according to a 2019 study by US researchers published in the journal Geophysical Review Letters.
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