Muslim pilgrims suffered extraordinary heat during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said over the weekend. Temperatures reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) on Sunday.
The catastrophic heat has resulted in the death of at least six Jordanian pilgrims, The Washington Post reported. A separate report by France 24 found that at least 19 Jordanian and Iranian pilgrims died while more than a dozen Jordanian pilgrims went missing as a result of the heat.
In addition, more than 2,700 cases of heat stress and sunstroke among pilgrims were reported, Mohammed al-Abdulaali, a spokesperson for the Saudi Health Ministry said on Monday, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Muslims who are physically and financially able to travel are obligated to make at least one pilgrimage in a lifetime. Hajj is considered to be a sacred pilgrimage and is one of the five pillars of Islam. Every year, millions of Muslims travel to and perform their Hajj in Makkah, the modern day Saudi Arabia, according to Islamic Relief.
At least 1.8 million people are attending this year’s Hajj which began on Friday, and is set to peak with attendees on Wednesday. Unfortunately, most of these rituals are outdoors and include walking around the Kaaba, a sacred Islamic site. As a way to get ahead of the heat, Saudi Arabia handed out water, set up large umbrellas and dedicated certain hospitals to treat heat-related illnesses.
Climate change has continued to warm our globe, and scores of others have already reportedly died from heat-related illnesses including India and Greece. Last week, Greece came under a sweltering heat wave with temperatures soaring to 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).
The heat in Greece grew to such a dangerous level that schools were shut down, and the culture ministry was forced to close Greece’s most popular tourist attraction: the ancient Acropolis site, as well as other archaeological sites. At least four tourists in Greece have died with most of those deaths assumed to be linked to the heat, and three other tourists still remain missing.