At least 14 dead and 17 missing during Hajj pilgrimage amid soaring temperatures
At least 14 Jordanian citizens have died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia after suffering severe sunstroke.
Jordanian officials said the deaths were caused by “sun stroke due to the extreme heat wave" and a further 17 people had been reported missing.
Five Iranian pilgrims were also said to have died, the AFP news agency reported, citing the Iranian Red Crescent, but the cause was not clear.
More than 1.8 million pilgrims are taking part in Hajj, said Saudi Arabian officials, which is one of the Five Pillars, or core tenets, of Islam.
The Jordanian foreign ministry said it was coordinating with the Saudi authorities on procedures to bury or transport the bodies of the deceased.
Many pilgrims, especially the elderly, are thought to have been affected by the burning heat, with Saudi security forces and medics using trolleys to carry those who fainted to ambulances or field hospitals.
The heat reached 47C in Mecca on Sunday and 46C in the nearby pilgrimage site of Mina, according to Saudi meteorological authorities.
More than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah said in a briefing, slightly less than last year's figures of 1.84 million.
Last year, at least 240 people died of multiple causes. In 2015 a deadly crush killed more than 2,000 people.
