A woman is urgently trying to locate her parents’ remains after they passed away during scorching heat while fulfilling their long-held dream of undertaking the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Alieu Dausy Wurie, aged 71, and Isatu Tejan Wurie, aged 65, were last in contact on June 15 when they informed their daughter that they had been waiting for hours in intense heat for transportation to Mount Arafat.
The pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj, was a lifelong aspiration for the couple and draws millions annually.
‘They saved their entire lives to embark on this journey and they didn’t receive the proper preparation, the proper documents, it was just a nightmare overall experience,’ their daughter Saida Wurie told CNN.
After their last communication on that scorching day of 109 degrees Fahrenheit, Saida received word from a member of their travel group informing her that her parents had passed away during the journey.
Their deaths were attributed to natural causes, including heat stroke. Now, Saida is endeavoring to locate their remains after being informed by the Consulate General’s office that the couple has already been interred.
‘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,’ Saida said. ‘Unfortunately, they have already been buried.’
