Six Ghanaian nationals have tragically died in Mecca due to a severe heat wave sweeping through Saudi Arabia.
This brings the total number of Ghanaian deaths to eight, following two earlier fatalities reported on June 13.
Abdul Rahman Alhassan Gomba, the Spokesperson for the Hajj Board, confirmed these deaths during an interview on Accra-based Citi FM. Mr Gomba revealed that the pilgrims, who were staying in Madina as part of their religious journey, faced extreme temperatures exceeding 41 degrees Celsius.
In response to the intense heat, Saudi authorities instructed all pilgrims to remain inside their tents during peak heat hours, from noon to 4 p.m. local time. Initially, reports of deaths involved Georgian nationals, but it was later discovered that Ghanaians were also among those who succumbed to the heat wave.
According to Sky News, over 1,000 people have died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
“The temperature was so high—above 41 degrees Celsius,” Gomda said, adding that, “they asked the authorities to confine us to our camps between noon and 4 p.m. Saudi time. Later, we heard that some Georgians lost their lives in town. At the time, we didn’t even know that some Ghanaians were also going to lose their lives under the conditions said to be related to the heat waves that swept across Saudi Arabia on the day.”
“I had the opportunity to speak with an official at the time word spread around the Ghanaian camp that 13 of our nationals had lost their lives. These people were persons who did not travel via the Hajj Board. These were people suspected of having travelled with a non-Hajj visa.”
He continued: “the forensic centre at the morgue, where the corpses are kept before being buried, had only managed to get six nationals from Ghana. When I asked him how they were doing it, they told me they were using fingerprints, and it was a laborious task.
“So, it will take days before the number of Ghanaians who died as a result of the heat wave will be established. Currently, we can say six people died during the heat wave, even though an autopsy report is not yet out regarding the subject.”
