CAIRO/RIYADH — The annual Hajj pilgrimage, a significant event in the Muslim calendar, was marred by tragedy this year as over 1,000 people lost their lives, according to a tally by Reuters. The extreme heat conditions proved to be a severe challenge for the nearly 2 million pilgrims who journeyed to Mecca.
The majority of the deceased were from Egypt. As per the information provided by security and medical sources to Reuters on Sunday, the Egyptian death toll had escalated to 672, with an additional 25 individuals unaccounted for.
Indonesia also suffered significant losses, with the government data revealing that 236 Indonesians died during the pilgrimage. India’s External Affairs agency reported the unfortunate demise of 98 Indian citizens during Hajj.
Additional casualties were reported from Tunisia, Jordan, Iran, and Senegal. This brings the total death toll for this year’s Hajj to at least 1,114 people, as per the Reuters tally.
An Egyptian crisis unit, assigned with the responsibility of investigating the situation, announced on Saturday that it has suspended the licenses of 16 tourism companies. These companies have been referred to the public prosecutor, with accusations of being responsible for deaths that were primarily among pilgrims not registered under the official system.
The crisis unit confirmed that 31 deaths were due to chronic illnesses among the officially registered pilgrims.
Agree – Tragic loss.:CGPoint: