The United States confirmed the deaths of “several American citizens” in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj, the great Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, which this year ended with the deaths of almost 900 people due to extreme heat.
“We offer our sincere condolences to the families for their loss. We are ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance,” a US State Department spokesperson told EFE news agency on Friday.
The annual pilgrimage to Mecca ended on Wednesday, after five days of religious rituals, marked by high temperatures that reached 51.8 degrees Celsius.
The State Department has not yet released the exact number of US citizens who lost their lives, nor did it want to provide further details “out of respect for the families’ privacy.” But the spokesperson said that “local authorities are now responsible for determining the cause of death and issuing the death certificate.”
In this year’s pilgrimage to Mecca, Egypt is, so far, the most affected country, with at least 325 deaths among the faithful, the vast majority due to the heat.
Both Egypt and Jordan, which recorded at least 68 deaths among pilgrims, announced that they will prosecute individuals and agencies that facilitated the faithful’s travel outside official channels.
Due to the high price of the trip, with an average cost of 4,600 euros per person, many opt for other means that the Saudi kingdom considers illegal.
These unofficial pilgrims do not have access to air-conditioned facilities and tents during the pilgrimage.
On the other hand, the number of deaths among pilgrims in Indonesia continues to rise, the second country most affected by the deaths of Muslim faithful in this year’s pilgrimage, which brought together more than 1.8 million of people.
At least 200 Indonesians died, although authorities did not clarify the reasons.
India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh announced 90, 35, 14 and 31 deaths, respectively, according to official sources and local media.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is obligatory at least once in a lifetime for all Muslims who have the health and resources to do it.
