US couple 'walked for hours' before dying in Hajj heat

Earlier DU thread:
• Saudi Arabia says 1,301 died on Hajj this year
• Hajj became a death march for 1,300 in extreme heat

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Source: BBC

US couple 'walked for hours' before dying in Hajj heat

25 June 2024
By Caitriona Perry, Ana Faguy & Bernd Debusmann Jr,
BBC News, Washington

A US couple who died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia were walking for over two hours in scorching temperatures before they succumbed to heat stroke, their daughter has told the BBC.

Alhaji Alieu Dausy Wurie, 71, and Haja Isatu Wurie, 65, of Bowie, Maryland, were among an estimated 1,300 people who died during the annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Temperatures during this year's gathering exceeded 122F (50C) at times.

Saida Wurie told the BBC her parents' tour group had failed to provide many of the items it promised, including food and adequate water.

The Sierra Leone-born couple went missing on Sunday 16 June, two weeks after arriving in Saudi Arabia.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw000kp55d2o


The Wuries sent a last text to their daughter