Unprecedented Heat Turns Mecca Pilgrimage Deadly: More Than 500 Dead This Year
The annual Hajj pilgrimage, a significant religious event drawing millions of Muslims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has turned deadly due to unprecedented heat exacerbated by climate change. Recent studies by Climameter highlight the direct link between climate change and the significant increase in temperatures during the pilgrimage, resulting in the deaths of thousands of pilgrims. The extreme heatwave that swept across large parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East in recent weeks coincided with the Hajj, leading to tragic consequences. On Tuesday, temperatures in Mecca soared to a staggering 47ºC. Media reports indicate that at least 550 pilgrims from various countries succumbed to heat-related illnesses during the pilgrimage. Among the deceased were 323 Egyptians, 98 Indians, 60 Jordanians, and five Iranians, illustrating the wide-ranging impact of this climate-induced disaster. Climameter, an EU-funded initiative that conducts rapid analyses of climate ch...
