The death toll during the Hajj in Mecca has exceeded one thousand people due to the heat wave, The Independent reported on Thursday.
“More than a thousand people have died during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia, with temperatures in Mecca reaching 51.8 degrees Celsius at their peak in recent days,” the publication reports.
The Saudi authorities have not yet provided data on the exact number of deaths during the pilgrimage, the newspaper notes.
Among the dead are citizens of Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia and some other countries. For example, the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs reported that 183 citizens of the country died during the Hajj.
Last year, it was reported that about 240 people died during the Hajj due to heat, crowds and other circumstances.
The Hajj took place this year from June 14 to 19. More than 1.83 million people took part in it. The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, where the main shrine of Islam, the Kaaba, is located. It takes place at the beginning of the twelfth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. It is believed that at least once in a lifetime, every true Muslim should perform the Hajj, if his or her physical health and financial condition allow it.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, called on international investors to become “architects of the success of the new Ukraine.” “Ukraine should become an investment mecca of Eastern and Central Europe. The main driver for economic development is the ability to make profit. And we are one of the few countries that now allows earning such a high return on invested capital. Today we are underinvested and disliked,” he said.
Zelensky called on investors to invest in Ukraine.
“Today, the pragmatic and petrified world is sorely lacking a miracle. And the world economy, which is on the verge of a new global crisis, needs an economic miracle. Ukraine is exactly the place where miracles happen. And my goal is to make Ukraine appear in textbooks next to the cases of Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Therefore, join in!” he said.
The president pointed out that the new Ukrainian authorities are creating equal rules of the game for everyone, cleansing the judicial system, digitalizing processes, implementing vital reforms and adopting vital laws.
“We have everything to become a successful country. Favorable climatic conditions, a very favorable geographic location, an inexhaustible agricultural and industrial potential, and our most valuable resource are incredibly creative and very talented people who are in the top 50 in the Human Capital Index rating,” he noted.
