Five SA pilgrims die during hajj period - DIRCO
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has confirmed the deaths of five South African pilgrims during the hajj period.
The department’s director for the Middle East, Ashraf Suliman, said none of the fatalities were due to the extreme heat, which claimed 1,301 lives.
Suliman said that three South Africans died in Madinah before performing their pilgrimage, and two died while undertaking it.
The victims succumbed to illnesses, not heat-related issues.
According to Saudi Arabia’s National Meteorological Centre, temperatures in Mecca this year climbed as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius.
READ: Diplomat says 68 Indian pilgrims among hajj dead
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims with the means must complete at least once in their lives.
Saudi officials have said 1.8 million pilgrims took part this year, a similar number to last year, and that 1.6 million came from abroad.
For the past several years, the outdoor rituals have fallen mainly during the sweltering Saudi summer.
The timing of the hajj moves forward about 11 days each year in the Gregorian calendar, meaning that next year, it will take place earlier in June, potentially in cooler conditions.
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