Following this year’s Hajj season, international media have sharply criticised the Saudi government for its poor management and organisation. The death toll has surpassed 1,300 pilgrims and is expected to rise, according to official Saudi government statements.
The BBC highlighted several factors that led to this tragic outcome, considering them indicative of Saudi mismanagement. These factors include issues with barriers and movement, as well as problems with cooling and sanitation facilities during Hajj.
Pilgrims have consistently complained about being forced to walk long distances in extreme heat due to numerous security barriers and poor management. The closure of certain routes increased walking distances, resulting in many pilgrims suffering from heatstroke.
Testimonies revealed that tents lacked adequate cooling and sanitation facilities, and there was a scarcity of drinking water along the roads. Additionally, there were no transportation services for the elderly, and rest stations were absent, leaving many unable to sit during their journey under the pretext that it would hinder other pilgrims’ movement.
Pilgrims reported that security personnel were ordered not to assist those without official Hajj permits and to deliberately ignore them, supposedly to deter non-permitted pilgrimages in the future.
The Wall Street Journal stated that the Saudi government had gathered over two million pilgrims in the desert for Hajj, prepared for potential terrorist attacks and demonstrations against the Israeli war in Gaza. However, the real threat came from the heat, which reached unprecedented levels in mid-June, resulting in over 1,170 deaths.
Many pilgrims could not access cooling facilities or medical services, making this year’s death toll the highest since the 2015 stampede that killed 2,000 pilgrims. The death count continues to rise, with hundreds still missing or hospitalized due to severe heatstroke.
The death march began on Saturday, the first day of the event, when pilgrims started to succumb to the heat. Pilgrims embarked on a nearly 10-mile journey to climb Mount Arafat, standing outside for hours to pray before returning to Mecca. The difficulty in reaching official buses or air-conditioned areas forced many to make the journey to Arafat and spend the entire day in the sun without enough water or shade.
Undocumented pilgrims reported that Saudi police allowed them to reach Arafat without permits on Saturday but ignored distress calls when people began collapsing from the heat. Ambulances were few and overcrowded.
Grim images of bodies lying on the roadside during Hajj rites were disturbing and highlighted the mismanagement. Some accused the authorities of deliberately endangering pilgrims to discourage undocumented Hajj practices, which have been a persistent issue. Many called for transparent investigations to uncover who was behind this tragedy and who ordered the deliberate neglect of pilgrims.
Several videos showed bodies lying on the roadside in Mina, on the way between Arafat and Mecca. Ahmed Mohamed, a 31-year-old Egyptian participating in Hajj without a permit, tried to help an elderly man who was too exhausted to continue. Police and paramedics told him they had other calls to attend to. Mohamed pushed the man in a wheelchair for an hour to a private clinic, which refused to admit him. Eventually, Mohamed’s cousin arrived with a car to transport the man to a public hospital, where he was admitted to intensive care. Mohamed said, “Most people walk long distances, and the crowds are immense,” adding, “The police and ambulance services were overwhelmed with calls they were not prepared to handle.”
A Jordanian grandmother with arthritis felt harassed by the police for not having a Hajj permit. When her group was blocked from reaching Arafat, they trekked through the desert. “It felt like walking on burning coals,” she said, describing how people’s feet burned and swelled. Saudi authorities did not comment on the death toll and did not respond to questions about this year’s Hajj, which saw about 1.83 million participants. On Monday, they reported treating over 2,700 people for heatstroke and deploying over 1,600 military personnel with medical units for heatstroke, along with 30 rapid response teams and 5,000 additional health and first aid volunteers.
Health Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel stated on Tuesday that health plans were successfully implemented, with no disease outbreaks or other public health threats. He claimed that heat stress injuries were minimised by discouraging pilgrims from performing rituals during peak temperatures.
Saudi officials advised pilgrims to stay hydrated and carry umbrellas and recommended against performing the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual at midday. They encouraged pilgrims to pray at local mosques across Mecca to reduce crowding and avoid extreme heat.
Hajj, a five-day event held since the 7th century, is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for Muslims who can make the journey. It is one of the largest annual gatherings globally, providing significant political and religious prestige to Saudi Arabia as the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites and generating billions of dollars in revenue annually. Safety and security incidents pose geopolitical risks, increasing calls from Saudi rivals like Iran and Yemen’s Houthi rebels to place Mecca and Medina under international administration.
Before this year’s Hajj, concerns were raised that Israel’s war in Gaza could incite unrest among Muslim worshippers, many of whom oppose Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Saudi Arabia’s efforts to establish official relations with Israel through a US-backed deal further heightened tensions. The kingdom attempted to limit undocumented pilgrims by threatening arrests and fines, while aiming to double official Hajj capacity to six million by 2030. However, its efforts to develop a traditional tourism industry have made it easier for foreigners to enter the country for other purposes and hide in Mecca until the pilgrimage begins.
Saudi Public Security Director Mohammed Al-Bassami warned undocumented pilgrims of arrests if they attempted to join the rituals. Omar Karim, a Saudi policy expert at the University of Birmingham, stated that undocumented pilgrims bore some responsibility for endangering their lives but suggested that quick action by Hajj authorities could have saved lives.
Officials reported that among the dead were over 680 Egyptians, nearly all without permits, and 700 more Egyptians were missing. At least 212 Indonesians died, with heatstroke and pneumonia being the most common causes, according to the country’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reported 98 Indian deaths due to illness, injuries, and extreme heat during the pilgrimage to Arafat. Both countries have experienced higher losses in previous years.
Dozens of other pilgrims, including those from Jordan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, and Iran, also died. The number of American casualties was unclear, with a State Department spokesperson stating, “The situation is dynamic, so we don’t have a specific number for you at this time.”
Many of the deceased were elderly or ill, making them more susceptible to severe heat stress. Recent studies have found that consistently rising temperatures in Mecca could jeopardise the performance of Hajj during the summer months by the 2040s.
