‘Not enough medics’ to help pilgrims with heat, Hajj witnesses tell CNN as toll mounts

“not enough medics” to help pilgrims with heat, Hajj witnesses tell CNN

There were not enough medics or basic facilities to protect Hajj pilgrims from the effects of the sweltering heat in Saudi Arabia last week, two pilgrims recently returned from Hajj told CNN, as the official death toll from this year’s Hajj pilgrimage soared to almost 500. Witnesses said worshipers losing consciousness and walking past bodies covered in white cloth became a norm during the mass religious event. This years’ Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca has been held amid extreme weather conditions which saw temperatures consistently soar above average figures. The exact death toll remains unclear and is expected to rise much further, as each country has been independently announcing the deaths of their nationals. Additionally, the governments are only aware of pilgrims who have registered and traveled to Mecca as part of their country’s quota – more deaths are feared among unregistered pilgrims. Zirrar Ali, 40, who returned to London on Friday from his pilgrimage with his 70-year-old father, told CNN that authorities did not provide enough water, shade or medical support to Hajj pilgrims during the week he was there. “To me, it felt like there are too many people, there are not enough medics, so they are just waiting for the worst of the worst to happen and then they will step in,” Ali said, adding that people passing out came to be a regularity.