All told, about 10 countries have reported 1,081 deaths during the annual pilgrimage. (File)
Riyadh:
The number of deaths during this year's hajj has surpassed 1,000, an AFP tally said on Thursday, with more than half of them being unregistered worshipers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia.
The new deaths reported on Thursday included 58 deaths from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that of the total 658 deaths from that country, 630 were unrecorded.
In total, about 10 countries have reported 1,081 deaths during the annual pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims with the means must complete at least once.
The figures come via official statements or from diplomats working on their countries' responses.
The hajj, whose timing is determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, fell again this year during the oven-like Saudi summer.
The National Meteorological Center reported a maximum temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) at the Grand Mosque in Mecca earlier this week.
According to a Saudi study published last month, temperatures in the area are rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade.
Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims attempt to perform the hajj through irregular channels because they cannot afford the often expensive official permits.
Saudi authorities reported earlier this month that they had removed hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca, but it appears many were still taking part in the main rituals that began last Friday.
This group was more vulnerable to the heat because, without official permits, they did not have access to air-conditioned spaces provided by Saudi authorities where the 1.8 million authorized pilgrims could cool down after hours of walking and praying outside.
“People were tired after being chased by security forces before Arafat Day. They were exhausted,” an Arab diplomat told AFP on Thursday, referring to the Saturday outdoor prayers that marked the climax of the hajj.
The diplomat said the main cause of death among Egyptian pilgrims was the heat, which caused complications related to high blood pressure and other problems.
In addition to Egypt, fatalities have also been confirmed in Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia and Iraq's Kurdistan Autonomous Region, although authorities have not specified the cause in many cases.
Friends and relatives are looking for pilgrims who are still missing.
On Wednesday, they scoured hospitals and begged for news online, fearing the worst amid scorching temperatures.
Saudi Arabia has not provided information on fatalities, although it reported more than 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” on Sunday alone.
(This story has not been edited by Our staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
