Details of Death and Disappearance Not Specifically Disclosed
5 Essential Religious Duties Muslims Must Perform
During the regular pilgrimage of Haji in Mecca and Medina, the holiest sites of Islam in Saudi Arabia, 14 Jordanian citizens died. On the 16th (local time), Petra, the Jordanian state news agency, reported citing a statement from the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs consulate that 14 of its nationals died during Haji, and 17 are missing.
On the 16th (local time), a regular pilgrimage crowd gathered in Mina near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest site in Islam. On this day, at least 31 pilgrims were reported dead due to a heatwave approaching 50 degrees Celsius in the Mecca area. [Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]
Haji, the regular pilgrimage held annually from the 7th to the 12th of the 12th month of the Islamic calendar, is one of the five mandatory religious duties that Muslims must perform. Every Muslim is required to visit Mecca and Medina, the birthplace of Islam, at least once in their lifetime. The pilgrimage begins with Tawaf, which means circling seven times around the Kaaba, a cuboid structure at the center of the Grand Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram) in Mecca, while praying. The Kaaba is a sacred object that every Muslim wishes to see in person at least once in their life. Pilgrims try to get as close as possible to the Kaaba, so even on weekdays, one can see multiple concentric circles of pilgrims around the Kaaba. From the third day of the pilgrimage, Islamic countries celebrate the three-day festival of Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). This festival marks the end of the pilgrimage, during which sheep or camels are slaughtered and shared with neighbors or given as charity to the less fortunate.
Crowds from around the world sometimes cause stampede accidents
During Haji, large crowds from all over the world gather, sometimes causing large-scale stampede accidents. In October 2015, a stampede during the regular pilgrimage resulted in at least 2,000 deaths. In recent years, since the Haji period coincides with the peak of summer, there have been annual deaths on site due to cardiovascular diseases or heatstroke caused by extreme heat. The exact circumstances of the deaths and disappearances have not yet been disclosed.
On the 16th (local time), a regular pilgrimage crowd gathered in Mina near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest site in Islam. On this day, at least 31 pilgrims were reported dead due to a heatwave approaching 50 degrees Celsius in the Mecca area. [Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]
Sufian Kudah, the director of the consulate, said, "Follow-up measures are underway regarding the burial or transportation of the deceased and the search for the missing." However, the exact circumstances of the deaths and disappearances have not yet been disclosed.
Earlier, since the 14th, Haji began in Mecca and Medina, the holiest sites of Islam in Saudi Arabia, and Saudi authorities reported that more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have entered for the pilgrimage. It is expected that even more pilgrims will visit Mecca during the Haji period, which lasts up to six days until the 19th, and hundreds of thousands of people within Saudi Arabia are also expected to perform Haji.
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