Australian dies during Hajj pilgrimage in the Middle East
An Australian is among hundreds of people killed during a Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia when temperatures soared to 50 degrees Celsius.
Every year, hundreds of people die while making the pilgrimage in scorching weather, with some counts putting the death rate as high as 900.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the death in a statement to the ABC and said the agency was providing consular assistance to the person.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” the statement said.
Muslim pilgrims use parasols to protect themselves from the sun. Photo: Fadel Senna/AFP
Speaking to ABC’s RN Breakfast, Muslim chaplain at Curtin University and the University of Western Australia Yayha Ibrahim said it is believed the pilgrim was an ‘older’ man living in Sydney.
“It’s someone who was elderly and who unfortunately found his last moments searching for God,” he said.
“The environment is what it is and it is a shame that there was a heat wave at the height of the Hajj.”
The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and is performed from the 8th to the 12th of Dhu al-Hijja, the last month of the Islamic year. This year it will take place between June 14 and June 19.
Muslim pilgrims arrive to perform the symbolic ‘stoning of the devil’ ritual during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mina. Photo: Fadel Senna/AFP
This year’s event was expected to attract around 1.8 million Muslims from around the world.
The journey includes several rituals, such as spending a day in prayer on Mount Arafat, and a stoning of the devil ceremony where pilgrims throw pebbles at three walls in the city of Mina.
While international news sources have collected data on the deaths of pilgrims undertaking the hajj, Saudi Arabian authorities have not yet commented on the fatalities.
Based on data from about ten countries including Egypt, Jordan and Indonesia, AFP reported 1,081 deaths during the pilgrimage, including those registered and unregistered.
Registered pilgrims can use air-conditioned areas, but some have still died in the extreme conditions.