Kemenhaj reviews city tours after 350 hajj pilgrims die in Saudi
The ministry plans to standardize health istitha'ah checks nationwide after citing post-Armuzna fatigue, alongside pneumonia, as a death risk factor.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will review city tour programs for hajj pilgrims after recording 350 deaths in Saudi Arabia. Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf said many pilgrims were taken on tours, including to Thaif and Jeddah, before or after the Armuzna sequence, leaving them more physically drained. He said most deaths were linked to pneumonia and fatigue that increased after the peak worship period in Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina. For that reason, the health and safety of pilgrims will be the main consideration for the next hajj season. Kemenhaj also plans to strengthen implementation of health istitha'ah, which it said is not yet applied evenly across regions.