Maryland Couple On ‘Lifelong Dream Trip’ Among Hundreds Who Died During Extreme Heat On Religious Pilgrimage To Mecca

A couple from Maryland died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia amid extreme heat. The deaths of Isatu Tejan Wurie, 65, and Alieu Dausy Wurie, 71 were confirmed by their daughter, Saida Wurie, in an interview with CNN on June 22.

“All we know is that it was natural causes, and someone from the U.S. Embassy advised that the natural causes could have been due to heat stroke,” Saida said. “Based on the temperature, people were saying it was 110 degrees. There are millions of people, and they have to walk long hours.”

Saida explained that her parents had dreamed of making the pilgrimage for a lifetime and had saved $23,000 for a tour package through a travel operator. “They saved their whole lives for this,” she added.

The family reportedly received a call from someone in Isatu and Alieu’s travel group, informing them that the couple went missing on Mount Arafat during prayers and had not returned to their hotel. Attempts to reach them by phone were unsuccessful.

Saida told CNN that before their deaths, she had been in touch with her parents and learned that the tour company allegedly lacked proper credentials and transportation for the journey. She believed her parents were unprepared for the trip, which included 100 fellow travelers in their group. CNN did not name the tour company, but it was reported to be registered in Maryland and did not respond to requests for comment.

Upon confirmation of her parents’ deaths via the U.S. consulate general’s office in Saudi Arabia, Saida learned that they had already been buried. 

“We did ask the Saudi government to hold the bodies in order for us to travel to Saudi Arabia to at least give them the proper burial with [their] children being present and to be able to identify the bodies,” she said. “Unfortunately, they have already been buried.”

According to CNN, Saiida and her family hope to meet with American officials upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia to locate her parents’ burial site.

Angela Alsobrooks, a U.S. Senate candidate, also confirmed the Wuries’ deaths, noting Isatu’s involvement in her campaign. “Haja Isatu Wurie was an incredibly active member of our community,” Alsobrooks wrote on X.

“She was involved in several community organizations, making transformational impacts that were felt both locally and globally. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with their families during this difficult time. Their loss is profound, and they will be deeply missed.”

According to the AP, approximately 1,300 people died during the pilgrimage to Mecca amid temperatures that reached 115 degrees last week. Fahd al-Jalajel, a Saudi health minister, stated that about 80 percent of the deaths involved travelers without permits, who walked miles in the oppressive heat.

The pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca is a rite that adult Muslims must make at least once in their life. According to The New York Times, about two million people participate in Hajj each year.