By Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché, Saudi Arabia.
Six Sierra Leoneans have died as a result of heat waves in the 2024 Hajj in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, according to authorities in Makkah.
The deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Alhaji Mohamed Haji-Kella, told this writer in an interview that five of the victims were American citizens of Sierra Leonean decent.
“Sources from the Ministry of Hajj and Umra suggest heat waves as the most common cause of death,” Alhaji Haji-Kella said.
He said the American consulate in Makkah is following up with the Saudi authorities regarding the identification of the bodies for befitting burial or repatriation.
Abu S. Gbawie, a Sierra Leonean, passed away in Madinah, a week before the commencement of the Hajj rituals.
The Presidential Task force on Hajj made the necessary arrangements and communicated with the family of the deceased, and a befitting funeral was done in Madinah. The pilgrim was buried at “Jannatul Baqi”; Madinah’s first cemetery, located on the Southeast of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
A total of 638 pilgrims from Sierra Leone participated in this year’s (1445/2024) Hajj in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
So far, a total of 637 Hajj pilgrims from Sierra Leone are doing well in Makkah.