Over 1,300 individuals lost their lives during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to extreme high temperatures experienced at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, Saudi authorities reported on Sunday.
Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel disclosed that 83% of the 1,301 deaths involved unauthorized pilgrims who endured long journeys in sweltering conditions to perform the Hajj rituals around the holy city of Mecca.
In an interview with state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV, the minister mentioned that 95 pilgrims were receiving medical care in hospitals, with some airlifted to Riyadh for further treatment. He noted challenges in identifying the deceased due to many lacking proper identification documents.
The deceased were laid to rest in Mecca, although specific numbers were not provided.
Among the fatalities were over 660 Egyptians, mostly unauthorized pilgrims, according to Egyptian officials who revoked licenses of 16 travel agencies involved in facilitating unauthorized pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.
