Hajj deaths highlight the need to keep pilgrims safe

A pilgrim prays at dawn on Mount Arafat during the Hajj pilgrimage on Saturday. Temperatures in Makkah climbed to 51.8°C this year. AFP

There is no getting away from the fact that the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia is an incredibly challenging event, with population growth and more people seeking to complete this important religious obligation.

About two million people from dozens of nations converge annually, creating an enormous logistical situation to manage. This week’s tragic news that more than 1,300 pilgrims lost their lives over days of extreme heat – temperatures in Makkah climbed as high as 51.8°C – should prompt the question: what more can be done to make this important religious duty as safe as possible?

Comparable tragedies have taken place before, with the Makkah fire of 1997 and the Mina crush of 2015 being two examples. In each case, the loss of life led to significant measures being taken and Saudi Arabia has spent decades investing in different ways to ensure people are as safe and healthy as possible while they perform the Hajj.

Riyadh has long funded free medical treatment for pilgrims during Hajj, even those with chronic medical ailments; in 1982, the Ministry of Health introduced a mandatory reporting system for heat-related deaths, improving the quality of vital data available to organisers.

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According to figures from the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, between 1992 and 2013 more than$253.26 billion was spent on crowd safety projects. Saudi authorities have sought out the most cutting-edge technologies possible to facilitate the Hajj; last year drones were used to examine and evaluate roads at holy sites, and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched a smart card that holds visitors’ ID number, nationality and residential camp address.

Organisers have also risen to the challenge of managing this enormous movement of humanity. A quota system for each country and a lottery aim to keep pilgrim numbers at a manageable level. A visa regime is also in place to ensure that only those who have permission to undertake the journey can access the holy sites. However, investigations into the 1,300 deaths have uncovered unscrupulous tour companies and smugglers who exploit loopholes in the system, luring some pilgrims to Saudi Arabia with the promise of an affordable Hajj or circumventing the quota system put in place to ensure manageable crowds. Most of the deceased, it has emerged, did not have permits to attend the pilgrimage.

A common story has been that of pilgrims arriving on visit visas before Hajj season, only to then join the pilgrims at the religious sites in Makkah and adjacent areas. Many visitors believe they are following the rules, being assured by dubious tour operators that their permit will be arranged upon arrival or later. This year, Saudi Arabia barred more than 300,000 people from entering Makkah because they did not have permits; this number includes almost 15,400 who arrived on tourist visas. However, many more still went undetected and found themselves without the support needed for such an arduous journey: medical help, safe accommodation and appropriate transport to avoid long walks under the blazing sun.

The response to the tragedy has been swift. Saudi Arabia has taken several steps, including working with authorities from other nations to track missing citizens. After it emerged that dozens of Tunisians were among the dead, President Kais Saied dismissed the country’s religious affairs minister. On Saturday, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly ordered 16 tourism companies to be stripped of their licences and asked prosecutors to investigate their managers over illegal pilgrimages; Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has ordered that a “crisis committee” be set up to examine the deaths that took place. Jordan has also ordered an investigation into the circumstances of its citizens travelling to Hajj.

Undoubtedly, more steps will be taken in the coming weeks and months. Foremost among these must be improved co-ordination between tour operators and Hajj authorities, and between various countries and the Saudi authorities. This is particularly important when it comes to holding accountable those making money from devout Muslims keen to follow their religious duty – and putting their lives at risk.