98 Indians died during Hajj pilgrimage: Govt

PTK NEWS DESK
New Delhi, June 21 – According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 98 Indian pilgrims died during the Hajj this year. This year, 1,75,000 Indian pilgrims have visited Hajj so far. Last year, 187 pilgrims lost their lives while performing the Hajj.
“These deaths have happened on account of natural illness, natural causes, chronic illness, and old age. On the day of Arafat, six Indians died, and four Indians have died on account of accidents,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He added that many died due to heatwave on the day of Arafat.
He said, “We instantly speak with the kin of those affected and take necessary probe and action required.”
As per an AFP report, the death toll from this year’s Hajj has exceeded 1,000. It stated that the new deaths reported on June 20 included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that of 658 Egyptians who died, 630 were unregistered pilgrims.
Around 10 countries reported 1,081 deaths during the pilgrimage, the AFP reported. The pilgrimage involved hours of walking and praying in a country where temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) this week.
According to research released last month, the area where the rituals are performed experiences an increase in temperature of 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) every 10 years.