The annual Muslim pilgrimage to the sacred city of Mecca that wrapped up last week became a death march for over 1,300 Hajj participants who died in temperatures that climbed above 124 degrees.
Saudi Arabia's health minister Fahad Al-Jalajel, who on Sunday announced a death total of 1,301, blamed the fatalities on pilgrims "walking long distances under direct sunlight without adequate shelter or comfort."
The 5-6 day odyssey of hiking and prayer drew almost 2 million pilgrims from around the world. Fatalities included a number of elderly people and those suffering from chronic diseases, A-Jalajel said. About 83% of the fatalities were among people who were not authorized to make the pilgrimage, he said.
Every morning, university professor Hassan El-Nabih straps his briefcase and laptop to his bicycle and rides...
Ukrainian offensives now account for a quarter of frontline clashes, with drones responsible for 60% of...
Russia offered the US a $12 trillion economic cooperation package, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday.The...
Vice President JD Vance was reportedly booed at the Milan Cortina Winter Games as U.S. Olympians...
