The Hajj season for 2024 has already ended with a total of 1.8 million pilgrims performing the fifth pillar of Islam this year. However, not all of those who went, managed to return to their country of origin. According to Tabung Haji's official statement, a total of 14 Malaysians have died so far due to age and health factors. But a total of 1301 pilgrims died during this year's Hajj season with the majority due to extreme heat.
According to official figures provided by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia, of this number 83% are pilgrims who are not registered and perform worship using tourist visas. The temperature in Mecca reached 51.8° Celsius this year due to the impact of climate change. Unlike registered pilgrims, pilgrims without special permits have to walk further under the scorching sun and do not have access to facilities such as air-conditioned tents provided by the Saudi government.
The country with the highest number of pilgrim deaths is Egypt with 658 deaths, with 630 of these being unregistered pilgrims. However, the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia also revealed that it has provided treatment to more than 465,000 pilgrims, including 141,000 to unregistered pilgrims.
The sharing of this official figure was done after a video of a deceased pilgrim's body left on the side of the road went viral on social media, with claims that the Saudi Arabian government did not provide emergency assistance when contacted.
Climate change has now had an impact on the important worship of Islam and it will become more serious if steps are not taken immediately. The month of May 2024 recorded the highest average temperature since records began with it being 1.52°C higher than pre-industrial temperatures. In fact the highest average temperature was recorded for 12 consecutive months.