Hajj floods kill 48

Floods have killed 48

The heaviest rainfall in years has overwhelmed the Saudi port city of Jeddah, causing floods and the deaths of 48 people on the first day of the Hajj.

According to Arabian Business, the floods overwhelmed the city, stranding people and devastating bridges and other parts of the city's infrastructure. As well as the 48 people that were killed, rescue services had to aid over 900 people stranded by the waters, that had been caused by over 3 inches of rainfall.

A Saudi government official, Jassem al-Yaqout, reported that two bridges on the motorway to Makkah had collapsed, whilst power outages had struck the city.

The deaths will be a blow to the Saudi government, who have implemented stringent safety measures this year after 362 people were crushed to death in a stampede in 2006.

Security operations are also in place around the area where pilgrims throw stones at pillars, symbolising the rejection of the devil's temptation.

Hajj safety measures

With the Hajj normally attracting two million pilgrims each year, there have been concerns this year that the large number of people in Mecca could aid the spread of the Swine 'N1H1' virus. Already, four pilgrims have died from the virus and another 67 cases have been confirmed.

The Saudi Health Ministry has played down the cases, with ministry spokesman Khaled Marghlani saying, "Everything is going smoothly, thanks to God".

The fear of Swine Flu has led the Saudi Arabian government to predict that local pilgrim numbers may be down by 40 percent. Already, 1.6 million pilgrims have come from abroad for the Hajj, which is the world's largest regular religious gathering and a duty for all Muslims to perform at least once if possible.

The rainfall, said to be the heaviest in decades, will no doubt cause chaos for the millions of pilgrims, many of whom spend the nights in a tent camp located in the Mina Valley.

While some countries, such as Iran, have put restrictions on the number of citizens attending the Hajj due to swine flu fears, the Saudi Kingdom has urged Muslims over 65 and under 12 as well as people with chronic diseases and pregnant women not to perform the ritual this year. Tunisia has banned citizens from going altogether.

Relevant articles:

Swine flu to affect Hajj numbers | Iran bans Ramadan pilgrimage due to swine flu | Mecca's superhotel

Like this article? Get the RSS feed: