A senior Saudi official defended Saudi Arabia’s handling of the hajj pilgrimage on Friday after several countries reported over 1,100 deaths, many linked to extreme heat, AFP reports.
“The state did not fail, but there was a misjudgement on the part of people who did not appreciate the risks,” the official told AFP in the government’s first comments on the deaths.
An AFP count on Friday, based on official announcements and reports from diplomats handling the situation, placed the death toll at 1,119, with over half from Egypt.
The Saudi representative stated that officials had verified 577 deaths during the two busiest days of the hajj: Saturday, when pilgrims spent hours praying in the intense heat on Mount Arafat, and Sunday, when they took part in the “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina.
“This happened amid difficult weather conditions and a very harsh temperature,” the official said.
Hajj formally ended on Wednesday.
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