However, Saudi authorities described the Hajj as a success.
The Saudi authorities announced, on Sunday, that during the Hajj pilgrimage this year in Mecca They died from the extreme heat, and most were not registered for the event. Fahd Al-Jalj The Minister of Health said that the high number of deaths was caused by “pilgrims walking long distances under the blazing sun without proper shelter and rest.” Among the victims were many elderly people and people with chronic diseases. The minister said, according to a report presented by the Saudi Press Agency, that 83 percent of the deceased had not registered to perform the Hajj with the Saudi authorities in advance.
According to Fahd Al-Jalaj, the Hajj was “successful,” as more than 465,000 medical facilities were established for pilgrims, including 141,000 for those who arrived without official registration.
For days, only estimates have emerged about how many people may have died due to the heat during this year's Hajj season between June 14 and 19. On Friday, a senior Saudi official issued only a partial tally: He said 577 people died on the Hajj's two busiest days, last Saturday, when the faithful prayed under the blazing sun on Mount Arafat, and Sunday, when they symbolically “stoned Satan” at Mina. . According to the official, Saudi Arabia did not make a mistake in performing the Hajj, but “people who did not properly assess the risks” made a mistake.
More than 1.8 million pilgrims visited Mecca last year, about 90 percent of whom came from abroad. Many people wait years to access Hajj because permits are always issued by the Kingdom's leadership based on quotas for each country.
