Jordanian state media, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, reported on Sunday that 14 Jordanian citizens who were visiting Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Islam's holiest city, for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, have died as a result of heatstroke. In addition, the Foreign Ministry has classified 17 citizens as missing at the event. According to Reuters , temperatures in the Saudi city are predicted to reach 47 degrees Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) on Monday. On Thursday, the Saudi health ministry issued an advisory warning of soaring temperatures and advising pilgrims to stay hydrated and avoid being outdoors during the hottest hours of the day between 11 am and 3 pm. The Foreign Ministry announced that it is following up with the Saudi authorities on the procedures for burying pilgrims and transporting the bodies of those whose families wish to be transported to Jordan as quickly as possible. In addition, the ministry clarified that none of the dead or missing were part of the official Jordanian Hajj delegation. Related articles: Trump will visit Saudi Arabia in May Trump confirms plans for Middle East visit Trump to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May on first foreign trip Missile launched from Yemen falls in Saudi Arabia During the yearly pilgrimage, one of the Five Pillars of the Islamic Faith, pilgrims circle the Kaaba - a small shrine believed to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael, run between two hills - as Abraham's concubine Hagar is believed to have done, pray on top of Mount Arafat which lies just outside the city, and throw stones at a pillar believing that they are stoning the devil. The pilgrimage culminates with Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, commemorating Abraham's sacrifice of his son (there is a disagreement among Muslim scholars if that son was Isaac or Ismael). This year, the Saudi General Authority for Statistics estimated that over 1.8 million pilgrims were expected to take part in the pilgrimage. The mix of a high turnout, high temperatures, and cultural aspects of the participants have caused the event to be highly fatal in the past. In 2015, a deadly crush near Mecca killed at least 2,070 people, according to a Reuters tally at the time.
