KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 562 pilgrims have lost their lives due to extreme heat wave during this year of Hajj rituals in Saudi Arabia, says a media report.
According to reports, an extreme heat wave grips the oil-rich Kingdom, which temperatures soaring to over 50 degrees Celsius in some areas.
Egypt alone has registered 307 deaths and another 118 missing, Reuters reported.
A Saudi health official, speaking to Reuters on Monday, before many of the reports of deaths were issued, said that authorities had not noticed any unusual fatalities among Muslim pilgrims amid the extremely high temperatures.
The ministry had so far treated more than 2,700 pilgrims who suffered from heatstroke, he added.
“It was so harsh and the people cannot bear that type of heat,” said Wilayet Mustafa, a Pakistani pilgrim.
More than 1.8 million pilgrims were expected to take part this year, according to the Saudi General Authority for Statistics.
kk/sa
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