By EDITOR
No fewer than 550 Muslims making a pilgrimage to mecca have been reported dead during the 50c heat wave on Saudi Arabia, all was said to have died as a result of the heat but one was seriously injured on a crush, according to a Saudi diplomat.
The victims included 323 Egyptians and 60 Jordanians.
Temperature at the Grand Mosque in Mecca reached 51.8c during the moment, pilgrims were seen shielding themselves with parasols while completing the stoning of the devil rituals in Minna in the searing condition.
Indian pilgrim Khalid Bashir Bazaaz said he saw a lot of people collapsing to the floor unconscious as people fainted during the symbolic Stoning exercise.
More than 2,000 persons were said to have been treated for heat stress while many poured water over their heads as there were volunteers who handed bottle waters and fast melting ice.
Officials have earlier offered advice on staying cool but many of the hajj rituals including the prayers at Mt. Ararat is an out door event that takes up hours.
However, hundreds of people had lined up at the Emergency Complex in Al-Muaisem neighborhood in Mecca, trying to get information about their missing family members.
This years hajj recorded a wooping number of more than 1.83 million Muslims performing hajj. It will be recall that over 2000 pilgrims died of stampede in Mina in 2015.