14 people have died from heatstroke and 17 have been reported missing during the ongoing Hajj pilgrimage currently taking place in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, according to Jordan's Foreign Ministry, as reported by local media.
This year, an estimated 1.5 million Muslims have travelled to the religious festival at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, where authorities have warned of record heat, with temperatures soaring to 48 degrees Celsius.
The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, forming the foundation of the religion. During the pilgrimage, several rituals are performed. Pilgrims, for example, walk seven times around the cube-shaped building of the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque. The devil is also symbolically stoned to death.
