Hajj pilgrims death: 98 Indians die amid day temperature soaring above 50 degrees

As many as 98 Indiansdied due to extreme heat during the annual Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj to Mecca, confirmed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday (June 21).

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a press briefing said that last year 187 people had died during the annual pilgrimage.

"This year, 1,75000 Indian pilgrims visited Mecca for Haj. The Haj period is from May 9 to July 22. This year, till now, 98 deaths have been reported," he said.

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"The deaths have been due to natural causes, chronic illnesses, and old age. Six people died on the day of Arafat and four were accident-related deaths," Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.

Toll surpasses 1,000 amid day temperature soaring above 50 degrees

The death toll during the annual pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia surpassed 1,000 this year amid scorching heat, news agency AFP reported on Thursday (June 20).

Out of the reported deaths, over half of them were unregistered worshippers who perished due to intense heat while performing the annual rituals in the holy city of Mecca.

The new deaths reported on Thursday (June 20) included 58 from Egypt, as per an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown that showed out of 658 Egyptians who had lost their lives due to extreme temperatures, 630 were unregistered pilgrims.

Every year, almost 1.8 million people from across the world visit Mecca to take part in a mostly outdoor pilgrimage. Hajj is considered one of the five pillars of Islam and Muslims with the means are advised to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime.

Saudi Arabian authorities say the temperatures have risen 0.4 degrees each decade in the city, piling more misery on the faithful crowd.

(With inputs from agencies)