The Hajj became a death march for 1,300 people in extreme heat

The annual Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, which ended last week, turned into a death march for more than 1,300 hajj participants who died in temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.

Saudi Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel, who announced a total death toll of 1,301 on Sunday, blamed the deaths on pilgrims who “walk long distances in direct sunlight without adequate protection or comfort.”

The 5-6 day odyssey of walking and prayer attracted nearly 2 million pilgrims from all over the world. Among the fatalities were many elderly people and people with chronic illnesses, said A-Jalajel. About 83 percent of the fatalities were people who were not eligible for the pilgrimage, he said.

“It was only by God’s grace that I survived because it was incredibly hot,” Aisha Idris, a Nigerian pilgrim, told the BBC.

More than 650 of the dead were Egyptians, at least two were Americans.

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and all Muslims are expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. Maryland residents Alieu Dausy Wurie, 71, and her wife Isatu Tejan Wurie, 65, spent $23,000 on an all-inclusive travel package from a travel company registered in the state.

“They have saved their whole lives for this,” Saida Wurie told CNN.

Death of Maryland couple classified as “natural causes”

Wurie told CNN that her parents were in Saudi Arabia when she learned through the family group chat that the tour company was not providing the necessary transportation or identification required for the pilgrimage. A man from her tour group contacted Saida Wurie and told her that her parents were missing on Mount Arafat after her father said he could not continue.

Wurie said she was later contacted by U.S. consular officials in Jeddah who told them they had been informed by the Saudi Interior Ministry that her parents had died of “natural causes.” The State Department, contacted by USA TODAY, said only: “We can confirm the deaths of several U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia. We extend our sincere condolences to the families for their loss. We stand ready to provide any appropriate consular assistance.”

Egypt wants to prosecute tourism companies

Egyptian officials said the high number of deaths – most of them among unregistered pilgrims – was due to some companies using a “personal visit visa that prohibits its holders from entering Mecca through official channels.”

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly ordered the withdrawal of the licenses of 16 tourism companies that offered package tours to unregistered Hajj pilgrims. He also ordered that those responsible for these companies be prosecuted and fined to compensate the families of the deceased pilgrims.

Jordanian authorities said they had also arrested several travel agencies that had organized unofficial trips for Muslim pilgrims.

Deaths due to heat during Hajj: 500 Egyptian pilgrims die at 49 degrees Celsius

The Hajj has experienced tragedies before

Catastrophic deaths during Hajj are nothing new. A stampede in 2015 killed over 2,200 people, and another stampede in 1990 killed over 1,400 people. Four years later, a stampede killed 270 people. A tent fire in 1997 killed 347 people. A protest in 1998 turned violent, killing 400 pilgrims. In 2009, 77 pilgrims died in floods.

Contributors: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 1,301 hajj participants die on pilgrimage to Mecca due to heat