Most of the fatalities were unregistered pilgrims who had to stay for long periods under the scorching sun, Arab media reported.
Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel said 1,301 pilgrims died during the Hajj. 83 per cent of them did not have the proper visa, so they had to travel long distances without being able to take shelter from the sun. Those who died are buried in Mecca.
The minister shared the information on state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV, the Associated Press reported. 95 pilgrims are being treated in hospitals, some of whom have been flown to Riyadh. The process of identifying the dead has been delayed as many did not have their documents with them.
There were 660 Egyptians among the dead. Only 31 of them had the right to be in the country. Egypt has revoked the licences of 16 travel agencies that helped pilgrims make unauthorised trips to Saudi Arabia. According to the Associated Press, 165 people from Indonesia, 98 from India and dozens from Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Malaysia are also among the dead. Seven Russians and two Americans are known to have died. In most cases, the deaths were due to physical exhaustion and dehydration amid extreme heat.
Hajj is a pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca. In Saudi Arabia, it began on June 14 and lasted until June 19. The Hajj was attended by 1.8 million people.
