Jordan says at least 14 pilgrims die during Hajj amid searing heat in Mecca

Saudi Arabia authorities urge pilgrims to protect themselves from extreme heat, hydrate and use umbrellas.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have warned Hajj pilgrims to take measures to protect themselves from sweltering temperatures after Jordan reported that 14 of its citizens died of sunstroke during the annual ritual.

​Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel​, Saudi Arabia’s minister of health, called on pilgrims on Monday to hydrate, use an umbrella for protection from the sun and stay away from hot surfaces.

“The solution is: ‘prevention, then prevention, then prevention’,” Saudi Arabia’s official news agency, SPA, quoted Al-Jalajel​ as saying.

He added that medics treated 2,764 pilgrims for heat exhaustion on Sunday, which marked the first day of the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday​.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry had said on Sunday that 14 pilgrims from the country died of sunstroke while 17 others are missing. It said those who died were not part of Jordan’s official Hajj delegation without saying where or when they died.