Hundreds of visitors have died from extreme heat during the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The pilgrimage began on Friday, with at least 550 deaths reported during the hajj, according to diplomats who spoke with Agence France Presse (AFP) on Tuesday.
Among the dead, 323 were Egyptians, most succumbing to heat-related illnesses, AFP reported.
Saudi state TV reported temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit) in the shade at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday.
A 2024 study by the Journal of Travel and Medicine found that rising global temperatures might surpass strategies to handle the heat.
While, thirty-five Tunisian citizens have died during the hajj, Tunisian news agency Tunis Afrique Presse reported on Tuesday.
Many deaths were due to extreme heat, as families continued to search for missing relatives in Saudi hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian foreign ministry issued 41 burial permits for Jordanian pilgrims on Tuesday.
Earlier, the ministry confirmed at least six Jordanian citizens died of heat stroke during the hajj.
While, Iranian state news outlet IRINN reported eleven Iranian deaths and 24 hospitalizations during the pilgrimage but did not specify the causes of death.
Three Senegalese citizens also died during hajj, the Agence de Presse Sénégalaise reported on Monday.
Moreover, Indonesian health ministry data showed 144 Indonesian citizens died during the pilgrimage, though the data did not specify if any deaths were due to heat stroke.
