Over 1300 die due to extreme heat during Hajj

More than 1,300 pilgrims died during the hajj due to intense heat, and most of the deceased did not have official permits, said Saudi Arabia authorities on Sunday (June 23).

"Regrettably, the number of mortalities reached 1,301, with 83 percent being unauthorised to perform hajj and having walked long distances under direct sunlight, without adequate shelter or comfort," the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The dead came from more than 10 countries stretching from the United States to Indonesia, and some governments are continuing to update their totals.

Saudi Health Minister Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalazel said that 83 percent of the 1,301 people killed were unauthorized pilgrims. They walked long distances in extreme temperatures to perform Hajj rituals in and around the holy city of Mecca.

The minister told state-owned Al-Ekhbariya Television that 95 pilgrims are being treated at the hospital. Some of them were airlifted to the capital Riyadh for treatment. Many of the dead pilgrims did not have identity cards, so there was a delay in identifying them.

He said that the dead were buried in Makkah.

More than 660 Egyptian citizens were among the dead. All but 31 were unauthorized pilgrims, two Cairo officials said. Egypt revoked the licenses of 16 travel agencies for allegedly helping unauthorized pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia.

Temperatures in Mecca this year climbed as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Saudi Arabia's national meteorological centre.

Riyadh had not publicly commented on the deaths or provided its own toll until Sunday.

Saudi officials have said 1.8 million pilgrims took part this year, a similar number to last year, and that 1.6 million came from abroad.

Unregistered pilgrims in many cases did not have access to amenities meant to make the pilgrimage more bearable, including air-conditioned tents.

Unregistered Egyptian pilgrims in some cases struggled to access hospitals or hail ambulances for loved ones, some of whom ended up dying.