A US couple was among the 1,300 people who lost their lives during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
A US couple was among the 1,300 people who lost their lives during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. They were identified residents of Bowie, Maryland. Before succumbing to heat stroke, Alhaji Alieu Dausy Wurie, 71, and Haja Isatu Wurie, 65, both “walked for over two hours” in scorching temperatures, according to their daughter.
The temperature during this year’s Hajj, which saw the participation of 1.8 million, pilgrims has surpassed 122F (50C).
Speaking to BBC, Saida Wurie said that her parents’ tour operator had not delivered on several of its promises, such as enough food and beverages.
Two weeks after their arrival in Saudi Arabia, the pair, who were born in Sierra Leone, went missing on Sunday, June 16. Their distraught daughter learned about their demise a few days later.
According to Saida, her parents had paid $11,500 each to travel to the Middle East via for the Hajj, considering that it was “very important” to them. “It’s something that they wanted to do their entire lives. They were beyond excited.”
Their travel was arranged with a group of almost 100 other pilgrims by an American touring firm operating out of Maryland.
