Extreme heat with temperatures exceeding 122F (50C) at times, has led to the deaths of about 1300 pilgrims who gathered in Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj. Among them are Maryland, USA residents, Alhaji Alieu Dausy Wurie, 71, and Haja Isatu Wurie, 65.
It has been reported that the couple had invested $11,500 (£9,000) to embark on the pilgrimage. The Sierra Leone-born couple went missing on Sunday 16 June, two weeks after arriving in Saudi Arabia. The couple travelled to the Middle East with a group of nearly 100 other pilgrims through an American touring company operating out of Maryland.
Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime.
Country’s like Nigeria sponsor thousands of pilgrims annually to Hajj.
Newswire
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