Hajj death toll reaches 922 amid scorching heat in Saudi Arabia

Almost 922 pilgrims have died in Saudi Arabia during Hajj 2024, which was carried out in scorching heat, AFP reported on Thursday.

The temperature in the holy city reached up to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) on Monday in the Kingdom, which resulted in the deaths.

Over 1.8 million pilgrims from across the world, including the elderly, women, and children, took part in the annual rituals this year.

AFP reported citing Arab diplomats that among the pilgrims who died, 600 were Egyptians, most of whom succumbed to heat-related illnesses.

At least 60 Jordanian pilgrims have also lost their lives, exceeding the official figure of 41 reported by Amman on Tuesday.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that it is working with Saudi authorities to locate Egyptians who went missing during the Hajj. 

While the ministry confirmed the death of pilgrims, it did not specify whether the deceased included Egyptian citizens.

Saudi authorities have reported treating over 2,000 pilgrims for heatstroke but have not updated the figure or provided information on the number of deaths since Sunday.

Several pilgrims, who were out in oven-like Saudi summer to perform Hajj rituals, have been missing since the day of Arafat, according to the publication.

"Facebook and other social media networks have been flooded with pictures of the missing and requests for information," AFP said in its report.

It should be noted that at least 240 pilgrims from various countries died during the Hajj last year, with the majority being Indonesians.