Over 1,000 pilgrims died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, officials say

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — More than 1,000 people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the death toll amid the heat during the pilgrimage, required of every able Muslim once in their life. An Egyptian official has said Sunday that more than half of the fatalities were from Egypt. The Egyptian government has revoked the license of 16 travel agencies that facilitated the travel of unauthorized pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. The fatalities included 165 pilgrims from Indonesia, 98 from India and dozens more from Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Malaysia, according to an Associated Press tally. Two U.S. pilgrims were also reported dead.