Tragedy Unfolding Across Route to Mecca Due to Heat

The official death toll from this year’s Hajj pilgrimage has soared to over 1,300 and the true toll could be more than that as reports emerge that an unprecedented tragedy is unfolding as worshipers travel the route to Mecca amid extreme heat.

Death Toll Along Route to Mecca Soars

According to the latest data coming out of the Middle East, at least 165 Indonesians, 98 Indians, 75 Jordanians, 49 Tunisians, 35 Pakistanis, and 11 Iranians have perished making the journey. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry added that 27 of its citizens have been hospitalized with 14 more still missing. Meanwhile, the Iranian Red Crescent said that dozens of Iranians are receiving medical treatment for heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses.

Complicating the official death toll number is the fact that not all of the pilgrims registered with their country's governments for the trip. This is why the fatality count is believed to be much higher.