At the very least 11 Individuals have been amongst those that died whereas making the Islamic pilgrimage of hajj to Saudi Arabia this month in searing temperatures, the U.S. State Division stated on Tuesday, including that it was doable that extra deaths could possibly be confirmed within the coming days.

In Maryland, the daughter of 1 couple was nonetheless looking for solutions in regards to the precise circumstances of her dad and mom’ deaths, and in regards to the actions of the tour operator whom the couple had paid tens of 1000’s of {dollars} to assist them make the journey.

The daughter, Saida Wurie, stated she and her brothers had not but been instructed the place their dad and mom, Isatu and Alieu Wurie, had been buried. She says she plans to journey to Saudi Arabia as quickly as she learns the place they’re.

“Dropping a liked one is difficult,” she stated on Tuesday. “However then not with the ability to bury them is simply an indescribable feeling.”

The couple have been amongst the more than 1,300 people who died whereas making the annual pilgrimage to the holy metropolis of Mecca, as temperatures reached 120 levels at instances. The Saudi authorities stated that the overwhelming majority of them didn’t have permits.

Hajj is a deeply non secular ritual that Muslims are inspired to carry out not less than as soon as of their lifetimes, if they’re bodily and financially in a position to take action. With almost two million taking part annually, it’s not uncommon for pilgrims to die from warmth stress, sickness or persistent illness. It’s unclear if the variety of deaths this yr was increased than standard, as a result of Saudi Arabia doesn’t usually report these statistics.

Family and friends of Isatu, 65, and Alieu, 71, stated that it was no shock that they’d made the journey, as each have been dedicated to their religion and had a lifelong dream of going to Mecca.

“They have been simply such superb joyful individuals,” Saida, 33, stated. “Everybody liked them.”

Saving for the journey was no straightforward feat. The couple paid about $23,000 to a tour operator based mostly in Maryland, Saida stated, and made the journey in early June alongside dozens of different members of their Muslim group in and round Bowie, Md., outdoors Washington.

However after they arrived in Mecca, they instructed Saida that the operator appeared to have hassle getting them official permits. The couple have been pissed off as a result of they’d believed that they’d been going “by the ebook,” Saida stated.

The final message she obtained from her mom stated {that a} bus to take them to one of many websites had not arrived, and that they’d been strolling for greater than two hours as an alternative. For days after that, Saida tried and failed to achieve her dad and mom by cellphone.

A few week in the past, Saida realized from a U.S. official that their names had been included on a listing of the useless. The tour operator didn’t reply to requests for touch upon Tuesday.

The demise toll this yr uncovered the hazards of unregulated tour operators and smugglers around the globe who revenue off Muslims who’re determined to make the journey to Mecca. Pilgrims who aren’t correctly registered are likely to have much less entry to shelter and air-conditioning.

The deaths additionally prompt a broad failure of Saudi immigration and safety procedures meant to stop unregistered pilgrims from reaching the holy websites.

The Wurie couple each grew up in Sierra Leone, the place they met as kids. Mr. Wurie got here first to america to review. Ms. Wurie adopted, they usually married.

That they had two sons, a daughter and 4 granddaughters, and each had careers in nursing earlier than they retired. A few decade in the past, the couple cut up. However final yr, they married once more in two ceremonies, one in america and one other in Sierra Leone.

Ms. Wurie had been planning a visit to Saudi Arabia final yr, however she postponed it in order that she might make the pilgrimage together with her husband.

Family and friends members described her as an upbeat lady who was steadfast about serving others. She had helped arrange meals drives and vaccination outreach campaigns in the course of the early days of the Covid pandemic, and served on the African Diaspora Advisory Board in Prince George’s County, stated C. Vincent Iweanoge, the board chair. She additionally volunteered for Angela Alsobrooks, the county govt who’s now running for Senate.

“For her, it wasn’t a couple of highlight,” Mr. Iweanoge stated of Ms. Wurie. “It was simply in regards to the service itself.”

Neighborhood leaders described Mr. Wurie as a political activist and entrepreneur with a joyful spirit. Imam Teslim Alghali, of the Sierra Leone Muslim Jamaat mosque in Hyattsville, Md., stated that he might come off as a quiet individual, even shy, however that he was enthusiastic about “main the youths to stay as much as their full potential,” and was lively in Sierra Leone’s politics.

Upon arriving in Mecca, the couple have been nonetheless in a position to carry out a few of the preliminary rituals of hajj, and their daughter stated that they have been “so excited to see the Kaaba,” the cubic construction that Muslims imagine was the primary home of worship.

She stated she believed her dad and mom have been crammed with pleasure of their closing days. “They died doing precisely what they needed to do,” Saida stated.

On Tuesday, the group was additionally mourning Fatmata Koroma, 61, who relations stated additionally died whereas making the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. She and her husband have been from Sierra Leone as effectively, lived in Bowie, Md., for many years and worshiped on the identical mosque because the Wuries.

Ms. Koroma’s daughter, Wumu Jalloh, stated that her mom had been excited in regards to the journey. “For each devoted Muslim, that’s their dream,” Ms. Jalloh, 24, stated. “That was one thing she was actually excited for.”

In messages to her household within the days earlier than her demise, Ms. Koroma despatched completely satisfied notes and cheerful pictures. However she additionally shared troubling information about mysterious postponements and considerations about getting the precise paperwork, her daughter stated.

On June 16, the household realized of Ms. Koroma’s demise from U.S. officers. They have been invited to journey to Saudi Arabia to attend her burial.

Vivian Nereim and Emad Mekay contributed reporting.