Over 550 killed during Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's diplomatic sources reported on Tuesday that  around 550 pilgrims died during the Hajj pilgrimage this year due to extreme heat-related problems. The temperatures at Mecca's Grand Mosque reached a high of 51.8 degrees Celsius. 

Most of the casualties were Egyptian pilgrims, along with 60 Jordanians and 5 Iranians.
According to two Arab diplomats, heat-related illnesses were the main cause of death for 323 Egyptians among all the deceased. 

It has been reported that the number of Jordanian pilgrims who have died has increased to 60, which is higher than the previous count of 41 given by Amman. This raises the overall death count to 577 in various countries, according to media approximations.

The health ministry of Saudi Arabia announced on Monday (June 17) that there were no notable deaths due to heat among the pilgrims this year. 

Jameel Abualenain- an official from the health ministry, pointed out the diverse health conditions and pre-existing illnesses present among the pilgrims.

According to a recent study from the Journal of Travel and Medicine, there has been a steady rise in temperatures of 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade in Hajj areas in Saudi Arabia, showing the effects of climate change.