On Sunday, Saudi officials announced that over 1,300 people had died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to the intense heat at Islamic holy sites in the Arabian peninsula.
Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel, the Saudi Health Minister, revealed that 83% of the 1,301 deaths were pilgrims who had not been authorised, enduring long journeys in high temperatures to participate in the Hajj rituals in and around the holy city of Mecca.
Speaking to state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV, the minister reported that 95 pilgrims were receiving medical treatment in hospitals, with some transported by air for care in the capital, Riyadh. He explained that the identification process had been delayed as many of the deceased pilgrims did not have identification documents.
He also mentioned that the deceased individuals had been buried in Mecca, without providing a specific breakdown.
According to officials in Cairo, the reported deaths included over 660 Egyptians, with all but 31 being unauthorised pilgrims. Egyptian authorities announced the revocation of licenses for 16 travel agencies that had facilitated the travel of unauthorised pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.