At least 550 pilgrims mostly Egyptians died from heat during hajj in Mecca

Arab diplomats announced on Tuesday, June 18 that at least 550 pilgrims had died during the hajj, the great Muslim pilgrimage in western Saudi Arabia, the majority Egyptians due to the heat.

This annual pilgrimage, from Friday to Sunday, took place this year again in the middle of summer in one of the hottest regions in the world, with temperatures reaching 51.8°C in Mecca, the holiest city of Islam.

At least 323 Egyptian pilgrims have died, mostly from the heat, two Arab diplomats told AFP on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“All of them died because of the heat,” except for one pilgrim who died after being injured in a crowd, one of the diplomats said, adding that the total figure came from the morgue of a hospital in the Al-Muaisem district of Mecca.