Couple Dies in Triple-Digit Heat During Lifelong Dream Trip to Make Pilgrimage to Mecca: Family

“They saved their whole lives for this,” Saida Wurie said of her parents' trip to the holy city

A couple from Maryland are among the over 1,3000 people who died while making 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, both of Bowie, Maryland, were confirmed by the couple’s daughter in an interview with CNN on Saturday, June 22.

"All we know is that it was natural causes and someone from the U.S. Embassy advised the natural causes could have been due to heat stroke, which based on the temperature, people were saying it was 110 degrees," Saida Wurie told the news outlet of her parents, who died on June 15. "There are millions of people and they have to walk long hours."

Saida told the outlet it had been her mom and dads lifelong dream to make the journey to Mecca, — and that they spent $23,000 for a tour package through a travel operator, according to CNN.

“They saved their whole lives for this,” she said.

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Saida said her family received a phone call from someone who was part of Isatu and Alieu’s travel group, saying the couple went missing on Mount Arafat, where the group was gathering to pray, and had not returned to their hotel. Attempts by the family to call the couple were unsuccessful.

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The daughter told CNN that before her parents’ deaths, she had been in touch with them and learned that the tour company allegedly lacked the proper credentials and transportation for the journey. She believed her parents were not prepared for the trip, which included 100 other fellow travelers in their group.

CNN did not identify the tour company by name, but said it was registered in the state of Maryland. The company did not respond to their request for comment

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Saida went on to say that when she confirmed the news of their deaths via the U.S. consulate general’s office in Saudi Arabia, she also learned they had 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, per CNN. “Unfortunately, they have already been buried.”

Saida said that she and her family are hoping to meet with American officials when they arrive in Saudi Arabia to help them locate her parents’ burial site.

Additionally, the Wuries’ deaths were confirmed by Angela Alsobrooks, a U.S. Senate candidate, CBS affiliate WJZ reported. According to the outlet, Isatu worked on the politician's campaign.

“Haja Isatu Wurie was an incredibly active member of our community. She was involved in several community organizations, making transformational impacts that were felt both locally and globally,” Alsobrooks wrote in her X post.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with their families during this difficult time. Their loss is profound, and they will be deeply missed,” she continued.

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As reported by National Public Radio, about 1,300 people died during the pilgrimage to Mecca, according to Saudi officials. At the time, temperatures in the area topped 115 degrees last week.

Fahd al-Jalajel, a Saudi health minister, said that about 80 percent of the deaths involved travelers who did not have permits as they walked miles during the oppressive heat, per The New York Times.

According to Britannica, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca is a rite that an adult Muslim must make at least once in their life. The Times reported that about 2 million participate in Hajj each year. 

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