The Ghanaian Minaret

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s health minister said on Sunday that the death toll during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage reached 1,301.

Speaking on state television, Fahd al-Jalajel said that 83 percent of the deceased were pilgrims who had undertaken the journey without the necessary permits.

He said that these unauthorised pilgrims walked long distances under the intense sun without shelter or rest.

They included a number of elderly people and people with chronic diseases, he noted.

“We dealt with large numbers of people affected by heat stress,” the minister added.

Al-Jalajel said that the identities of the deceased were verified, and they were respectfully buried and honoured in Mecca.

In all, the minister said that the Kingdom has provided approximately 1.3 million preventive services to pilgrims. 
He added that authorities also delivered over 465,000 treatment services, including 141,000 for those without Hajj authorization.

Saudi Arabia required each pilgrim to acquire one of the 1.8 million available licenses to legally access Mecca.

These licenses can cost several thousand US dollars. 

Unlicensed pilgrims typically don’t travel in organised tour buses with air conditioning or easy access to water and food supplies, the CNN news channel reported.

The Saudi Press Agency also reported that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had begun issuing Umrah visas on Thursday, June 20, to streamline Umrah performers’s arrivals to the Kingdom and ensure a smooth and worry-free experience.

The Prime Minister and Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, congratulated Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, on Saturday for successfully organising the Hajj.