More than 570 Hajj pilgrims have died in the Saudi city of Mecca, as temperatures rose to more than 50 degrees Celsius, media reports say. More than 2,000 people are said to be receiving treatment for heat-stress in Islamic holy city. Temperatures hit 51.8C at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday, the Saudi national meteorology centre said. ALSO READ: Nearly 100 Rwandan Muslim pilgrims on RwandAir’s direct flight to Mecca At least 323 of the dead were from Egypt, who succumbed to heat-related illnesses, AFP reports, quoting Arab diplomats. At least 60 Jordanians have died, the diplomats said, up from an official tally of 41 given earlier on Tuesday by Amman. The new deaths bring the total reported so far by multiple countries to 577, according to an AFP tally. Earlier on Tuesday, Egypt’s foreign ministry said Cairo was collaborating with Saudi authorities on search operations for Egyptians who had gone missing during the annual pilgrimage. ALSO READ: Why Muslims go for annual pilgrimage Saudi authorities have reported treating more than 2,000 pilgrims suffering from heat stress but have not updated that figure since Sunday and have not provided information on fatalities. Pilgrims are advised to use umbrellas, drink plenty of water and avoid exposure to the sun during the hottest hours of the day. About 1.8 million pilgrims took part in the hajj this year, 1.6 million of them from abroad, according to Saudi authorities. They include about 100 Muslims from Rwanda. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims with the means must complete it at least once in their lifetime.
