Saudi Authorities have said that the majority of the 1,300 pilgrims who died while performing hajj in the Holy Land this year were unauthorised to perform hajj.
The Saudi Health Minister Fahad bin Abdurrahman al-Jalajel stated on Sunday that 83% of those who died were not authorised to perform the ritual.
The large number of deaths in this year’s hajj was attributed to a heatwave in Mecca, where temperatures reportedly exceeded 51 degrees Celsius (124 Fahrenheit).
However, according to statements by the Saudi state news agency SPA, authorities said that most of the victims had been exposed to extreme sunlight before they got to Saudi through an illegal route.
“[They] walked long distances under the sunlight, with no adequate shelter or rest,” Jalajel was quoted to have said of the unregistered pilgrims. “They included a number of elderly and chronically sick.”
The minister insisted that this year’s hajj was “successful” despite the mounting death toll.
He added that Saudi health authorities “provided more than 465,000 specialised treatment services, including 141,000 services to those who didn’t obtain official authorisation to perform hajj.”
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