During this year’s hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, where temperatures soared to 51.8°C (125°F), the death toll surpassed 900 as of Wednesday. Most casualties were attributed to extreme heat, affecting pilgrims from countries like Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, and India. Families desperately searched hospitals and social media for missing loved ones, highlighting cases like Mabrouka bint Salem Shushana of Tunisia, who lacked proper registration and access to cooling facilities. Despite efforts to locate missing pilgrims like Ghada Mahmoud Ahmed Dawood, concerns mounted as the scorching conditions posed severe risks, exacerbated by the pilgrimage’s outdoor nature during Saudi Arabia’s summer.
Death Toll Rises and Families Search for Missing Pilgrims at Sweltering Hajj in Mecca
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