According to the latest report from Saudi Arabian authorities, 1,301 people died during this year's traditional pilgrimage to Mecca due to a scorching heat of about 52º C. ”Unfortunately, the number of fatalities reached 1,301, 83% of whom were not authorized to perform the 'hajj' (pilgrimage) and walked huge distances under the sun, without adequate protection and comfort,” the Saudi Health Ministry noted.
Mask-clad Muslims circled Islam's holiest site along socially distanced paths on Sunday, as Saudi authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage amid extensive health precautions after seven-month coronavirus hiatus.
More than 2.5 million Muslims will on Friday begin the annual hajj pilgrimage in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, against a backdrop of tensions in the Gulf. Crowds of worshippers have already begun to gather in Mecca in the days ahead of the hajj, the focal point of the Islamic calendar.