Fourteen Jordanian pilgrims died while performing rituals related to the hajj, a sacred journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that Muslims are encouraged to make once in a lifetime, Jordan’s official news agency said on Sunday.
The pilgrims died as a result of exposure to extreme sun and heat, the agency said, based on a report from Jordan’s Foreign Ministry. In Mecca, temperatures reached nearly 110 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday and recent studies have indicated that climate change will increase health risks there.
Another 17 pilgrims were missing, the agency said.
The haj is one of the largest mass gatherings in the world, with Muslim pilgrims traveling from near and far for a spiritual experience that is also physically and mentally challenging.
This year, the hajj began on Friday and will end on Wednesday; 1.8 million pilgrims were expected to participate, according to the General Statistics Authority, a Saudi government agency.
The Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday that the country’s medical center for heat exhaustion had treated 225 pilgrims for heat stress and fatigue.
Deaths have also occurred during previous pilgrimages, including stampedes. In 2015, more than 700 people died in a stampede. Many pilgrims, who tend to be older, have also experienced heat stress in recent years, and dozens of them have died from the heat.
The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of the Muslim faith and many of the rituals take place outdoors, in Mecca and the surrounding desert. These rituals include praying outside the Grand Mosque of Mecca and spending the day praying on Mount Arafat, often under the scorching sun.
Scientists have warned that weather conditions will be severe when the hajj, which follows the lunar calendar, falls during the summer, as it did this year.
Relief measures have helped reduce cases of heat stress, scientists say. Saudi authorities have used water mist sprayers to cool the air, they said, and have provided water, umbrellas and air-conditioned transportation to pilgrims.
Vivian Nereim contributed reporting from Riyadh.