More than 1,000 hajj pilgrims die amid temperatures approaching 52C in Mecca
Saudi authorities said they sent away unregistered pilgrims but many appear to have taken part without access to cooler spaces
The death toll from this year’s hajj has exceeded 1,000, with more than half of the victims unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia.
The new deaths reported on Thursday included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that of 658 Egyptians who died, 630 were unregistered pilgrims.
About 10 countries have reported 1,081 deaths during the pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam which all Muslims with the means must complete at least once.
The hajj, whose timing is determined by the lunar Islamic calendar, fell again this year during the oven-like Saudi summer.
The national meteorological centre reported a high of 51.8C (125F) this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
A Saudi study published last month said temperatures in the area were rising by 0.4C each decade.
Each year tens of thousands of pilgrims try to join the hajj through irregular channels as they cannot afford the often costly official permits.
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