Saudi television reported on Tuesday that pilgrims performed the rituals of Hajj amid severe heat conditions, with some fatalities occurring during the current Hajj season, where temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius in the shade inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
In this context, the Jordanian consulate, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, issued 41 burial permits for Jordanian pilgrims to be buried in Mecca at the request of their relatives, stating they "are not part of the official Jordanian Hajj mission."
At the same time, a responsible Jordanian source announced that there are "investigations regarding the circumstances and conditions of pilgrims from Jordan leaving outside the official framework."
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement stating that "the ministry is following up on the burial procedures for the Jordanian pilgrims who passed away while performing the Hajj rituals due to heat strokes caused by the severe heat wave. The cell is also tracking the search for missing pilgrims and ensuring their return as quickly as possible."
The ministry urged Jordanian citizens who are performing Hajj and their families to contact them around the clock for assistance, to report missing persons, or to arrange for the transportation of bodies in cases of death.
Moreover, a source in the ministry informed BBC that "the number of deaths among Jordanian pilgrims is likely to increase, and the final count will be announced soon."
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs intensified its efforts in coordination with Saudi authorities in the search for missing Egyptian citizens while performing Hajj. The Egyptian embassy in Riyadh sent a consular mission to Mecca and the sacred sites to monitor developments in the search for all missing Egyptian nationals, coordinating with Saudi authorities while conducting field visits to hospitals and medical centers where Egyptian citizens may be located to ensure their well-being and that they receive necessary medical care.
Additionally, they are taking all measures concerning the repatriation of bodies of citizens who passed away during the Hajj. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry directed Egyptian diplomatic and consular missions in Saudi Arabia to closely cooperate with Saudi authorities to monitor search operations for missing Egyptian citizens among the Hajj pilgrims amid reports of multiple fatalities during the current Hajj season.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zaid revealed that the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah initiated an emergency room to receive calls from citizens who have lost contact with their relatives in Mecca, Medina, or the holy sites. A dedicated phone number has been assigned for this purpose.
On another note, the Consular Sector of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry established an operations room to receive all communications from citizens requesting searches for missing persons or the transportation of bodies of their deceased relatives.
In Tunisia, the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based on reports from the Tunisian consulate in Jeddah, stated that the number of Tunisian pilgrims who passed away has reached 35. The diplomatic mission in Riyadh and the general consulate in Jeddah are coordinating with the relevant Saudi authorities and the families of the pilgrims to complete the burial procedures. A source from the Tunisian consulate in Jeddah had previously stated that 23 pilgrims died while performing the Hajj rituals.
