Before the beginning of the first day of the December 2006 Hajj, 243 pilgrims had died, according to a statement by the Saudi government.[39] The majority of deaths were reportedly related to heart problems, exhaustion in the elderly and people with weak health, caused by the heat and tiring physical work involved in the pilgrimage. After the conclusion of the Hajj, the Nigerian government reported that 33 nationals had died mostly “as a result of hypertension, diabetes and heart attack”, not due to epidemic illnesses, and rejected assertions that Nigerian pilgrims died in an accident on a road to Mina.[40] Egypt’s official news agency has reported that by 30 December (10 Dhu al-Hijjah), 22 Egyptian pilgrims had died.[41] Four Filipino pilgrims in their 50s died during the pilgrimage of illnesses or other ‘natural causes’, and were buried in Mecca.[42] The Pakistani Hajj Medical Commission has announced that approximately 130 Pakistani pilgrims died during the Hajj season in Saudi Arabia, “mostly aged and victims of pneumonia and heart patients”, and that 66 pilgrims were admitted to Saudi hospitals for similar ailments.
Also, not to downplay the reality of climate change, but dying of heatstroke in Saudi Arabia in June was not exactly beyond the pale 100 years ago either.
Dying during a Christian pilgrimage has happend often enough. Our pilgrims log goes back to the time of the black death (actually right after it), and they took a coffin along on their pilgrimage even in the 19th century in case someone died (and, that was the believe, would ascend right into heaven). And yes, people really died doing strenous things for several days in a row that they were not used to.
Given the amount of people on the Hadj, the heat, and the age and medical conditions of quite some of those people, I think we have to give credit to the Saudis that it were just 14.
Agreed. As much as we are definitely going to see climate-related deaths ramp up as things get worse, I just don’t think we should be taking this as an example of people necessarily suffering from climate change.
Dying during the Hajj is almost as much a tradition as the Hajj itself, although a bunch of people by heatstroke sounds new.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_during_the_Hajj
Edit: I take that back, not new-
Also, not to downplay the reality of climate change, but dying of heatstroke in Saudi Arabia in June was not exactly beyond the pale 100 years ago either.
Dying during a Christian pilgrimage has happend often enough. Our pilgrims log goes back to the time of the black death (actually right after it), and they took a coffin along on their pilgrimage even in the 19th century in case someone died (and, that was the believe, would ascend right into heaven). And yes, people really died doing strenous things for several days in a row that they were not used to.
Given the amount of people on the Hadj, the heat, and the age and medical conditions of quite some of those people, I think we have to give credit to the Saudis that it were just 14.
Agreed. As much as we are definitely going to see climate-related deaths ramp up as things get worse, I just don’t think we should be taking this as an example of people necessarily suffering from climate change.
It’s also related to having more than 1 million people in a place. Statistically deaths would be guaranteed.