Saudi Arabia Finds 83% of Dead Hajj Pilgrims Lacked Hajj Visa

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health revealed that the death toll during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage reached 1,301, and 83 percent of them, or 1,079, did not have Hajj visas. They were suspected of traveling to Saudi with the help of their travel agent without a legal permit.

Saudi's Health Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel said the unauthorized pilgrims had walked a long way under the intense heat of the sun. “We dealt with large numbers of people affected by heat stress,” he said, as reported by Al Arabiya on Monday, June 24.

However, Al-Jalajel claimed that the pilgrims received treatment as normal. The identities of the deceased had been verified and they were later buried with honors in Makkah.

Al-Jalajel also said that the Saudi Kingdom has provided around 1.3 million services to prevent Hajj pilgrims from suffering from heat stress and other diseases. The authorities also provided more than 465,000 medical services, including for 141,000 pilgrims who did not have Hajj permits.

Colonel Talal Al-Shalhoub, security spokesman for Saudi's Interior Ministry, said some travel agencies from several countries deceived pilgrims by providing visas that were not intended for the Hajj. The agents, he said, also encouraged them to break regulations by staying in Makkah two months before the Hajj season.

“The ministry has taken proactive measures to intensify media and awareness campaigns against performing Hajj without permits as well as to enforce stringent penalties on violators,” he remarked, as reported by local media Saudi Gazette.

IWAN KURNIAWAN

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