As Mecca continues to witness extreme heat, the death toll from Hajj 2024 has now crossed 1,000. As per an AFP tally, diplomats have stated that the death toll has officially surpassed 1,000 pilgrims.
Speaking to the French agency, an Arab diplomat stated that the deaths of unregistered pilgrims makes up for more than half of the overall tally.
As per the diplomat, of the new deaths reported on Thursday, around 58 are from Egypt. He added that of the total 658 deaths from Cairo, around 630 was of unregistered pilgrims.
Mecca Witnesses Extreme Heat
As the death toll for Hajj 2024 continues to rise, the heat in Mecca also continues to rise. On Monday, the pilgrimage site recorded temperatures of 51.8 degree Celsius.
Hajj, which began on June 14, saw around 1.8 million from across the world come down to Islam's holiest site. However, this year's pilgrimage comes amid an intense heatwave-like situation in Saudi Arabia.
As per weather predictions, excessive heat like temperatures are expected to continue in Mecca for the next week.
68 Indians Among Hajj Deaths
A Saudi diplomat shared that around 68 Indians have died during Hajj 2024. Of this, some died of natural causes while many due to the weather conditions.
Along with India, deaths have also been confirmed by Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia and Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.
Saudi Arabia is yet to comment or provide information regarding the fatalities of Hajj 2024.
