Australian experts hail Saudi crowd control measures during Hajj
Early reports indicate a much lower death toll than previous years at this year's Hajj pilgrimage, with reasons attributed to better crowd control
SYDNEY, Australia (MNTV) – Australia’s crowd security experts have hailed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to minimize casualties during the Hajj gathering but they warn that climate change will make the rituals tougher in the years to come. Early reports indicate a much lower death toll than previous years at this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, reports ABC News.
The reasons are attributed to better crowd control and facilities extended to pilgrims to avoid sultry heat.
The annual pilgrimage, which took place from June 4-9, is an essential rite of passage for those of the Muslim faith but has historically resulted in thousands of fatalities due to extreme heat and crowd crushes.
About 1.6 million pilgrims performed the Hajj this year, the lowest number for 30 years excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period.
While a final death toll is yet to be confirmed, individual countries have reported relatively low numbers of fatalities. According to local reports, 175 Indonesian pilgrims died, 10 from Malaysia, 13 from Iran and seven from Nigeria. In 2024, 1,300 people died after temperatures exceeded 51 degrees Celsius.
Milad Haghani, associate professor of urban resilience and mobility at the University of Melbourne, says Hajj presents a “cocktail of crowd-safety risks”. The scale is massive. It is one of the biggest crowds that ever gathers,” he says.
“The crowd is spiritually motivated, [which is] a category of crowd that we deem very prone to risk taking.”
“While the Hajj has a history of fatal incidents—mostly crowd crushes”, Dr Haghani says, climate change marks “a new emerging threat”.
“Across the world, we are seeing that crowded events are being affected by extreme weather conditions. In Australia, we have festivals that get cancelled,” he says.
“But when it comes to Hajj, it’s very, very rare that it gets cancelled for any reason. It will go ahead regardless.” Other aspects of Hajj increase the risks of heat-related injury, too.
“The vast majority of the activities do take place in an outdoor environment where you’re exposed to the sun directly,” Dr Haghani says.
“And being in a crowded environment [can] create a microclimate, so inside the crowd could be hotter than the [outside] temperature.”
Many of those making the pilgrimage do so later in life, especially if they have had to save for years or decades to afford the journey. Hajj packages from Australia typically cost upwards of $10,000.
“That crowd tends to be older, compared to a crowd that you get in a typical music festival or a sporting event — that means a higher prevalence of health issues,” Dr Haghani says.
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