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Saudi Arabia said hundreds of Muslim pilgrims died during the hajj due to heat-related ailments. (Image: AFP)
Death toll surpasses 1,000 at Hajj due to extreme heat; unregistered pilgrims make up over half of fatalities, sparking safety concerns
The death toll from this year’s hajj exceeds 1,000, an AFP tally said on Thursday, with unregistered pilgrims making up more than half of those who perished amid intense heat.
The new deaths reported Thursday included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that of 658 total dead from that country, 630 were unregistered.
Hundreds of visitors have died during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca amid scorching heat. Some 70 Indians are believed to be among the dead. Saudi state TV said temperatures rose on Monday as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit) in the shade at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Many of those deaths were due to extreme heat, family members said on social media, as other families continued to search for missing relatives in Saudi hospitals.
The haj is an annual pilgrimage that millions of Muslims make to Mecca to perform religious rites as taught by the Prophet Mohammad to his followers 14 centuries ago.
A Saudi health official, speaking to Reuters on Monday, before many of the reports of deaths were issued, said that authorities had not noticed any unusual fatalities among Muslim pilgrims amid the extremely high temperatures.