This year’s pilgrimage to Mecca has already left more than 470 dead due to high temperatures in Saudi Arabia

June 21. (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least 470 Muslim pilgrims have died during this year’s celebration of the traditional journey to Mecca and other sacred places of Islam in Saudi Arabia due to the heat wave that has recorded temperatures of up to 50ºC in the Arab kingdom.

A Bloomberg account of the victim figures provided by the authorities of seven countries leaves this death toll that will almost certainly increase once they verify deaths among unregistered pilgrims.

Indonesia has confirmed 213 deaths and Jordan has reported 75 deaths, while India has verified 98 deaths, including 68 from Jordan, 49 from Tunisia, 14 from Malaysia and four Russians. Egypt has confirmed 28 deaths but national media warn that the real number could be several hundred. The Iranian authorities speak of eleven deaths and Senegal has confirmed three deaths.

The Saudi authorities already warned last week of the enormous danger posed by high temperatures. Last Monday alone, medical services had to attend to more than 2,700 cases of heat stroke.