This year’s hajj witnessed a tragic toll, with over 1,000 deaths reported among the nearly two million participants of the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, exacerbated by severe heat conditions, according to a Reuters tally. A significant portion of the deceased were Egyptians, with security and medical sources reporting that the death count from Egypt had reached 672, along with 25 missing.
Other countries also reported fatalities among their nationals: 236 Indonesians and 98 Indians perished, based on data from Indonesia’s government and India’s External Affairs agency, respectively. Additional deaths were confirmed from Tunisia, Jordan, Iran, and Senegal, bringing the total confirmed fatalities to at least 1,114.
In response to the high number of casualties, an Egyptian crisis unit has taken decisive action by suspending the licenses of 16 tourism companies and referring them to the public prosecutor. These companies were accused of negligence, primarily involving pilgrims who were not registered under the official system. The crisis unit also noted that 31 of the deaths were among officially registered pilgrims and were attributed to chronic illnesses.
