Heat stroke claims lives of 10 Kashmiri pilgrims during Hajj 2024 in Saudi Arabia

SRINAGAR — As the Hajj 2024 pilgrimage concluded, 10 Kashmiri pilgrims including a husband-wife duo from Srinagar have died due to ‘heat stroke’ in Arafat and Muzdalifa in Saudi Arabia, an official said on Thursday.

A senior Jammu and Kashmir Hajj officer informed the news agency KNO that the extreme temperatures experienced during the pilgrimage took a toll on the health of several pilgrims, resulting in the death of 10 Kashmiri pilgrims, including eight women and two men.

“The temperature has been soaring, and unfortunately, 10 pilgrims from Kashmir including a couple from Srinagar have succumbed to heat stroke,” the official stated, adding that among the 10 deceased was a Srinagar-based couple too.

As per the officials, the deaths have taken place in Arafat and Muzdalifa, and among the dead, eight are women and two are men.

The official said that during the ongoing holy pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, temperatures even soared to a scorching over 48°C, saying that despite hot weather conditions, pilgrims persevered in performing their religious duties.

The senior officer said that the Saudi government shifted the bodies immediately to the hospital on the 9th evening from Arafat and on the 10th evening from Muzdalifa and that after biometric identification, they were publishing a list of those who had expired.

The official said the deceased pilgrims were accompanied by their relatives, and it has been confirmed that they will be buried in Makkah.

According to the officials, this year, over 7000 pilgrims from the region undertook the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Madina. Of these, approximately 6800 pilgrims departed through the Srinagar embarkation point, while over 500 pilgrims travelled from other airports.

Meanwhile, the officials have said that the arrival of J&K pilgrims will start on June 22 and in the first batch, 322 pilgrims will be arriving at Srinagar International Airport.