The annual Muslim pilgrimage to the sacred city of Mecca that wrapped up last week became a death march for over 1,300 Hajj participants who died in temperatures that climbed above 124 degrees.
Saudi Arabia's health minister Fahad Al-Jalajel, who on Sunday announced a death total of 1,301, blamed the fatalities on pilgrims "walking long distances under direct sunlight without adequate shelter or comfort."
The 5-6 day odyssey of hiking and prayer drew almost 2 million pilgrims from around the world. Fatalities included a number of elderly people and those suffering from chronic diseases, A-Jalajel said. About 83% of the fatalities were among people who were not authorized to make the pilgrimage, he said.
The U.S. has yet to secure funding commitments for its Gaza reconstruction plan as potential donors...
Florida legislators are pushing to pass legislation that would ban the use of the term “West...
President Volodymyr Zelensky made a rare reference to Ukraine’s casualty figures on Wednesday – revealing that...
President Donald Trump said Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, should be worried about a U.S....
