Fourteen Jordanians have been reported dead during the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, some of them due to heat stroke, while 17 others were reported missing, the Jordanian foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
Muslim pilgrims cast their stones at a pillar symbolising Satan, during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mina, Saudi Arabia, June 16, 2024. Reuters/Mohammed Torokman
Fourteen Jordanians have been reported dead during the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, some of them due to heat stroke, while 17 others were reported missing, the Jordanian foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
At least six of the fatalities were heat related, the ministry said on Saturday, with temperatures predicted to reach 47 degrees Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) in Mecca on Monday.
It didn't specify on Sunday whether the higher death toll was also due to the heat.
The haj, which will end on Wednesday, is one of the largest mass gatherings in the world, with more than 1.8 million pilgrims expected to take part this year, according to the Saudi General Authority for Statistics.
Stampedes, tent fires, heat and other factors have caused hundreds of deaths at the event over the past 30 years.
The Saudi health ministry issued an advisory on Thursday warning of soaring temperatures and advising pilgrims to stay hydrated and avoid being outdoors during the hottest hours of the day between 11 a.m. (0800 GMT) and 3 p.m.
The Jordanian foreign ministry was coordinating with Saudi authorities on procedures to bury or transport the bodies of the deceased according to their family's wishes, it said on Sunday.
In 2015, a deadly crush at the haj near Mecca killed at least 2,070 people, according to a Reuters tally at the time.
Reporting by Jaidaa Taha and Pesha Magid
The United States launched on Wednesday its first airstrikes in the Middle East since suspending its bombing campaign last week, hitting Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq jointly with Saudi Arabia, while Tehran spurned an Omani plan to manage the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed several drones that attempted to target oil facilities in the kingdom's Eastern Province.
In 1815, Talleyrand arrived at the Congress of Vienna representing a defeated nation. France had burned Europe for two decades and lost.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.