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An Australian man is among hundreds of people who died during the Hajj pilgrimage when intense heat engulfed Islam’s holiest sites.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the pilgrim’s family, but was unable to provide further details due to confidentiality obligations.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a spokesman said.
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An estimated 550 people died during the five-day pilgrimage after temperatures reached 47C in Mecca and other holy sites around the city.
Perth Imam Yahya Adel Ibrahim, who completed Hajj this year, knew about the deceased Australian.
“I can’t share too many details … but this is someone who was elderly, who unfortunately spent his last moments looking for God,” he told ABC radio.
“Death for us, as people of faith, is not something we embrace, but at the same time it is something we understand can be part of God’s will.
“Many of the pilgrims, especially those who have lost family members, we have a saying … we belong to God and to him is our final return, so there is a sense of acceptance.”
Each year, approximately two million Muslims perform the Hajj, and previously there have been deaths due to stampedes or epidemics.
Many believers also save for their entire lives to make the pilgrimage, which means they are elderly or have pre-existing health problems.
Trees have been planted to provide additional shade and streams of water flow along the paths, Ibrahim said.
“But when temperatures reach over 50C and people sometimes don’t want to pay attention or think they’re not that overwhelmed … unfortunately (death) is a by-product,” he said.
But with climate change, the risks of Hajj are expected to increase.
A 2019 study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that the Hajj would take place at temperatures exceeding the “threshold of extreme danger from 2047 to 2052 and from 2079 to 2086, even if nations manage to mitigate the worst effects of climate change’.
Saudi Arabia has already spent billions on crowd control and other safety measures, but it is difficult to ensure the safety of all participants due to their large numbers.
“There are literally hundreds of thousands of people trying to do everything they can to make sure that the millions of people congregating on a very small patch of land are cared for, hydrated and protected,” Ibrahim said.
“We are always trying to improve the services provided by commenting on and engaging with the Ministry of Hajj, but they have done a phenomenal job year after year.”
— With AP
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