A severe heat wave in Mecca has tragically claimed the lives of six Ghanaian nationals, raising the death toll among Ghanaian pilgrims.
Spokesperson for the Hajj Board, Abdul Rahman Alhassan Gomba, confirmed these fatalities during an interview on Citi FM.
“Initially, reports suggested that 13 Ghanaian nationals had died, but this number was later revised to six after fingerprint verification at the morgue.
“The forensic centre at the mortuary, where the corpses are kept before being buried, reported they had only managed to identify six nationals from Ghana.
When I asked how they were doing it, they told me they were using fingerprints, and it was a difficult task since the fatalities involved individuals suspected of travelling with non-Hajj visas, complicating identification efforts.”
Gomba added that it would take days before the exact number of Ghanaians who died as a result of the heat wave could be established.
Background
Reports from Sky News indicated that, over 1,000 people have died during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca due to a severe rise in temperature, which soared above 41 degrees Celsius.
In response, Saudi authorities mandated that all pilgrims remain in their tents during peak hours between noon and 4 p.m. local time to avoid further fatalities.
