Maryland couple among 1,300 who died on pilgrimage in sweltering Mecca

Muslim pilgrims walk around the Kaaba during the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on 17 June 2024. Photograph: Rafiq Maqbool/AP

A Maryland couple died recently while completing the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid extreme heat.

Alieu Wurie, 71, and Isatu Wurie, 65, of Bowie, Maryland, were among the more than 1,300 people who died during the pilgrimage as temperatures exceeded 120F (48.9C).