Maryland couple 'walked for hours' before dying in Hajj heat

The two pilgrims' daughter says a tour agency they used had failed to provide basic necessities.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUK General ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessFuture of BusinessTechnology of BusinessWork CultureInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersUS couple 'walked for hours' before dying in Hajj heat14 hours agoBy Caitriona Perry, Ana Faguy & Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News, Washington ShareHeartbreaking last text from mum before Hajj heat deathA US couple who died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia were walking for over two hours in scorching temperatures before they succumbed to heat stroke, their daughter has told the BBC.

Alhaji Alieu Dausy Wurie, 71, and Haja Isatu Wurie, 65, of Bowie, Maryland, were among an estimated 1,300 people who died during the annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Temperatures during this year's gathering exceeded 122F (50C) at times.

Saida Wurie told the BBC her parents' tour group had failed to provide many of the items it promised, including food and adequate water.

The Sierra Leone-born couple went missing on Sunday 16 June, two weeks after arriving in Saudi Arabia.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw000kp55d2o

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