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More than 1,000 Hajis have died during the Hajj rituals this year due to intense heat in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, AFP reported.
Thousands Hajis are also being treated for heatstroke as temperatures mounted to 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in Mecca.
As per reports, unregistered pilgrims who entered illegally in Mecca through the mountains accounted for more than half of those who died. Around 658 pilgrims from Egypt have died, according to an Arab diplomat. Of them, 630 were unregistered pilgrims.
Several Hajis are reported to be missing too, as Facebook and other social media networks are flooded with pictures of the people missing and asked people to share information about the missing.
More than 1.8 million people are taking part in this year’s Hajj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, according to the Saudi government.
As part of precautionary measures, Hajj officials have asked pilgrims to carry umbrellas and stay hydrated. The Saudi army has deployed more than 1,600 personnel with medical units to tend to heatstroke victims and 30 rapid response teams, CNN reported. Another 5,000 health and first aid volunteers have also been stationed.
Last year, only 240 pilgrim deaths were reported, most of them Indonesians.
