An Arab diplomat said that at least 600 Egyptians died during the hajj pilgrimage, citing searing heat that reached 51.8C in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
“All of the (newly confirmed) deaths were because of the heat as well,” the diplomat said, after Arab officials earlier reported a figure of at least 323 Egyptian deaths.
Diplomats yesterday said that at least 550 pilgrims died during the hajj, underscoring the gruelling nature of the pilgrimage which again unfolded in scorching temperatures this year.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims with the means must complete it at least once.
The pilgrimage is increasingly affected by climate change, according to a Saudi study published last month that said temperatures in the area where rituals are performed were rising 0.4Ceach decade.
Temperatures hit 51.8C at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday the Saudi national meteorology centre said.
At least 60 Jordanians also died, the diplomats said, up from an official tally of 41 given earlier yesterday by Amman.
Saudi officials had advised pilgrims to use umbrellas, drink plenty of water and avoid exposure to the sun during the hottest hours of the day.
But many of the hajj rituals, including the prayers on Mount Arafat which took place on Saturday, involve being outdoors for hours in the daytime.
Some pilgrims described seeing motionless bodies on the roadside and ambulance services that appeared overwhelmed at times.
Around 1.8 million pilgrims took part in the hajj this year, 1.6 million of them from abroad, according to Saudi authorities.
Each year tens of thousands of pilgrims attempt to perform the hajj without securing official hajj visas in order to save money, a more dangerous undertaking because these off-the-books pilgrims cannot access air-conditioned facilities provided by Saudi authorities along the hajj route.
One of the diplomats who spoke to AFP yesterday said that the Egyptian death toll was “absolutely” boosted by a large number of unregistered Egyptian pilgrims.
Earlier this month, Saudi officials said they had cleared hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca ahead of the hajj.
Other countries to report deaths during the hajj this year include Indonesia, Iran and Senegal.
Most countries have not specified how many deaths were heat-related.
Hosting the hajj is a source of prestige for the Saudi royal family, and King Salman’s title includes “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” in the cities of Mecca and Medina.
Greece wildfire outside Athens fanned by strong winds
Greek firefighters and aircraft battled a blaze in the town of Koropi 30 kilometres south of Athens as strong winds fanned the flames and forced residents to flee their homes and businesses.
Traffic was suspended along a main highway connecting Koropito Athens suburbs. One storage facility was on fire and flames crept into a boat dry dock and across fields of dry grass and olive trees, images on local TV showed.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries, a fire service official told Reuters. Civil protection and authorities evacuated two nearby villages.
“Its a very difficult day today. We have a new fire breaking out every 10 minutes,” Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said in a televised message.
Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean nation but they have become more devastating as summers have become hotter and drier, which scientists relate to climate change.
On Tuesday more than 40 fires broke out across the country, the fire service said.
It was not immediately clear what caused today’s blaze. Four firefighting planes, six helicopters, dozens of fire engines and more than 50 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, the fire service official said.
Much of the Athens area has had no rain for weeks, leaving large areas bone dry. Volunteers and professional firefighters dragged hoses over blackened fields in 35C heat. Smoke filled the sky and was driven sideways by strong wind gusts.
“I saved my home at the last moment. It all happened so fast,” a resident whose face was blackened by smoke told local Skai TV channel.
After forest fires last year forced 19,000 people to flee the island of Rhodes and killed 20 in the northern mainland, Greece has scaled up its preparations this year by hiring more staff and increasing training.
