- author, Katrina Perry, Anna Fagie, Bernd Debsmann Jr.
- role, BBC News, Washington
An American couple who died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia died of heat stroke after walking for more than two hours in scorching heat, their daughter told the BBC.
Alhaji Aliu Dausi, 71, and Haja Isatou Urie, 65, of Bowie, Maryland, were among an estimated 1,300 people who died during the annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
During this year’s rally, temperatures at times exceeded 122°F (50°C).
Saida Urie told the BBC that her parents’ tour group had failed to provide many of the supplies it had promised, including food and enough water.
The Sierra Leone-born couple went missing on Sunday, June 16, two weeks after arriving in Saudi Arabia.
A few days later, the young Urie was informed that his parents had died.
His grieving daughter told the BBC the Hajj pilgrimage was “very important” to her parents, who had paid $11,500 each to go.
“This is something they’ve wanted to do their whole lives,” she added. “They were so excited.”
The couple travelled to the Middle East with a group of about 100 other pilgrims through a Maryland-based American travel company.
“Much of what was promised to them was not delivered,” Urie said.
“The package was supposed to include meals every day, but they had to find their own food for several days.”
With sweltering heat and few supplies, the couple told Urie they were “taking it one day at a time” and making sure to stay hydrated.
The BBC has contacted the company for comment.
Image source, Getty Images
In their final text exchange, after several missed calls, Urie said his parents had said they had been “walking for over two hours.”
Consulate officials and members of the tour group confirmed the couple’s deaths shortly thereafter.
With the help of consulate officials, Urie was able to determine which cemetery his parents are buried in, but their location within the burial ground has yet to be identified.
“They don’t have any personal belongings,” she said. “There are so many questions and we need to find answers.”
Urie said he plans to go to Saudi Arabia to find out where his parents are buried.
She also told the BBC that the travel agency had said it would provide her with the visas and registration she needed to travel, but did not do so.
According to Saudi Arabia’s state-run SPA news agency, most of the pilgrims did not have proper permits, but the process of obtaining proper permits for the hajj can be costly and complicated.
Hajj is the annual pilgrimage that Muslims make to the holy city of Mecca, and anyone who is financially and physically able to complete the journey is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
Saudi Arabia said some 1.8 million people took part in this year’s pilgrimage.
The country’s Health Minister Fahad Aljaragel said authorities had recently launched an awareness campaign against heatstroke.
Saudi Arabia has come under criticism recently for not making the Hajj safer, especially for unregistered pilgrims.
Those without the proper permits have difficulty accessing spaces that are equipped with air conditioning and other amenities for official travelers.
