Ahmad 
The number of deaths among pilgrims this year exceeded a thousand, according to a tally compiled by Agence “France-Presse” from the authorities of the concerned countries and diplomats.
An Arab diplomat confirmed to Agence France-Presse, who refused to reveal his identity, that 58 additional deaths were recorded among Egyptian pilgrims, which brings the number of Egyptians who died in the current season to at least 658, including 630 who did not hold Hajj permits.
According to the numbers provided by about ten countries through official statements or diplomats involved in searching for victims, the number of deaths during the Hajj season this year reached 1,081.
These numbers include 658 Egyptians, 183 Indonesians, 68 Indians, 60 Jordanians, 35 Tunisians, 13 from Iraqi Kurdistan, 11 Iranians, 3 Senegalese, 35 Pakistanis, 14 Malaysians, and one Sudanese.
The Hajj season, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, coincided again this year with extremely hot weather, as the temperature at the beginning of this week reached 51.8 degrees Celsius in the shade in Mecca.
Hajj is increasingly affected by climate change, as a Saudi study indicates that the temperature in the region is rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims perform the Hajj without permits every year, depriving them of access to the air-conditioned spaces provided by the Saudi authorities for 1.8 million pilgrims who hold permits.
Earlier this month, the Saudi authorities announced that they had deported hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca, but it appears that a large number of unauthorized people participated in the rituals that began on Friday, under difficult circumstances.
The Arab diplomat pointed out that “people faced difficulties due to the chases before the Day of Arafat (Saturday), and their strength had been exhausted.”
The diplomat explained that the reasons that led to the death of this number of Egyptian pilgrims include “heat, chronic diseases, failure to receive health care on time, blood pressure complications, diabetic coma, and decreased blood circulation as a result of heat and stress.”
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