PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A beloved couple from Maryland with deep ties to the local community passed away during a pilgrimage to Mecca due to severe heat.

Haja Isatu Wurie, 65, and her husband, Alhaji Alieu Dausy, 71, served as part of County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’s team. They both died during their trip in Saudi Arabia.

Officials said their deaths were likely due to a heat stroke.

Wurie, Alsobrooks said, served as a member of the African Diaspora Advisory Board and was also a member of the Jamil-Ul-Jalil Organization.

Death toll at Hajj pilgrimage rises to 1,300 amid scorching temperatures

“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,” she wrote in a post on Instagram.

Mecca, a city in western Saudi Arabia, is considered the holiest of Muslim cities and the birthplace of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. All devout and able Muslims attempt a hajj – or pilgrimage – to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, making the trip a lifelong dream for the couple.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that more than 1,300 fellow pilgrims have died amid scorching heat during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage. 83% of the fatalities were among unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances under soaring sun heat.

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