Saudi Arabia seeks to prevent heat deaths as Hajj pilgrimage begins

More than 1.4 million Muslims began the pilgrimage of the hajj of this year in the Saudi holy city of Mecca, a year after 1,300 people died, mainly due to extreme heat.

Saudi authorities say they have intensified security precautions for the annual event.

They planted thousands of trees and installed hundreds of cooling units to help mitigate the temperatures planned to reach 44C (111F).

They also banned children under the age of 12 and have warned pilgrims who try to undertake the Hajj without an official license that they are faced with a fine of $ 5,000 (£ 3,685) and an entry ban over 10 years.

On Sunday, officials said they had prevented more than 269,000 people from entering Mecca.

The officials said that 80% the pilgrims who died last year, including hundreds of Egyptians and Indonesians, were not registered and therefore had not access to housing, transport and other amenities related to the air condition when temperatures reached 51C.

Many Muslims cannot afford an official Hajj package – which can cost $ 4,000 to $ 20,000 depending on their country of origin, their duration of stay and their level of comfort – and then enter the Gulf Kingdom on tourist or visitors.

The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and takes place in the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

It is the journey that each adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their lives if he can afford it and is physically capable.

On the first day of Hajj, male pilgrims had to change their clothes for two white fabrics and enter the state of Ihram. The women put modest clothes and covered their heads, but not their faces.

The pilgrims headed for the great mosque of Mecca, the most sacred site in Islam, and went around the Kaaba three times – a ritual known as Tawaf. They could also walk seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa, known as Sai.

They then went to Mina, 5 km (3 miles), where they will spend the night in a tent town before heading Thursday at Mont Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad would have pronounced his last sermon.

The Saudi Ministry of Health has urged pilgrims to follow strict guidelines to mitigate the effects of heat, in particular by avoiding sun exposure between 10:00 and 4:00, using umbrellas to shade and drink water regularly.

The shaded areas were enlarged by 50,000 m² (12 acres) and more than 400 cooling units were installed, according to the Minister of Hajj.

The large mosque cooling system is the largest in the world, according to State TV.

More rubberized and cooled roads have also been built to reduce surface temperatures, and artificial intelligence will be used to monitor a fleet of drones and help manage crowds.

In 2015, more than 2,300 people were reportedly killed in a jostling in Mina.