Fourteen Jordanian pilgrims died as they carried out rituals associated to Hajj, a holy journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that Muslims are inspired to take as soon as of their lives, Jordan\u2019s official information company mentioned on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The pilgrims died because of publicity to excessive solar and warmth, the company mentioned, based mostly on a report from Jordan\u2019s Overseas Ministry. In Mecca, temperatures reached practically 110 levels Fahrenheit on Sunday, and recent studies<\/a> have indicated that local weather change will improve well being dangers there.<\/p>\n

One other 17 pilgrims had been additionally lacking, the company mentioned.<\/p>\n

The Hajj is without doubt one of the largest mass gatherings on the earth, with Muslim pilgrims touring from close to and much for the religious expertise, which can also be a bodily and psychological problem.<\/p>\n

This yr, Hajj began on Friday and can finish on Wednesday; 1.8 million pilgrims had been anticipated to participate, based on the Common Authority for Statistics, a Saudi authorities company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Saudi Press Company reported on Saturday that the nation\u2019s medical heart for warmth exhaustion had handled 225 pilgrims for warmth stress and fatigue.<\/p>\n

Deaths have additionally occurred throughout earlier pilgrimages, together with from stampedes. In 2015<\/a>, greater than 700 individuals died from a stampede. Many pilgrims, who are sometimes older, have additionally skilled warmth stress lately, with scores dying from the warmth.<\/p>\n

The pilgrimage is without doubt one of the 5 pillars of the Muslim religion, and lots of the rituals happen outside, in Mecca and the encompassing desert. These rituals embody praying exterior the Nice Mosque of Mecca and spending the day in prayer at Mount Arafat, typically underneath the blazing solar.<\/p>\n

Scientists have warned that climate circumstances shall be extreme when Hajj, which follows the lunar calendar, falls in the course of the summer time, because it did this yr.<\/p>\n

Aid measures have helped cut back circumstances of warmth stress, scientists say<\/a>. Saudi authorities have used water mist sprays to chill the air, they mentioned, they usually have offered water, umbrellas and air-conditioned transportation for the pilgrims.<\/p>\n

Vivian Nereim contributed reporting from Riyadh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n