The estimated deaths after the extreme heat during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has reportedly reached over the 1,000-mark as of Saturday, while the death toll continues to rise in the days following the incident.
Despite no official death toll as of June 22, tally from various reports stated that over 1,000 individuals died amid the extreme heat wave during the course of performing the Hajj pilgrimage.
The hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam which all Muslims must complete atleast once, is determined by the lunar Islamic calendar.
And for this year’s pilgrimage, the calendar fell during the summer period in Saudi Arabia with about 49 to 51 degrees celsius temperature during the walking and praying jouney.
Reports stated that atleast 10 countries have reported death incidents following the pilgrimage, which are both from registered and unregistered pilgrims.
Additionally, among the other countries that reported casualties from the Hajj Pilgrimage heatwave were Malaysia, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Iran, India, Egypt, and United States of America.
Following this, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed that one OFW died due to heatstroke while performing the Pilgrimage.
The Filipina, a 37-year old Riyadh-based health care professional, was among the estimated 5,000 Filipino Muslims who made the pilgrimage this year. She died on June 16 at a hospital in Makkah and was buried on June 19.
Furthermore, DMW has already coordinated with the families of the OFW for the release and burial of her remains, as well as the bills and other forms of assistance for the family of the bereaved.
Meanwhile, as of June 22, Saudi Arabia has not confirmed any official figures or tally of the death toll related to the incident, but fatalities are still expected to rise much further.