Death toll among Egyptian pilgrims rises to 86 in Saudi Arabia

Death toll among Egyptians on the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year has reached 86, Egypt’s Health Ministry announced on Tuesday.

An 44-year-old man from Sharqiya died from cardiac arrest while in hospital in Mecca, the deputy-head of Egypt’s hajj medical commission Mohamed Shawky said, according to Al-Ahram Arabic website.

Deaths from heat exhaustion, fatigue and other natural causes are a common occurrence among pilgrims on the hajj in Saudi Arabia.

More than 100,000 Egyptian pilgrims performed the hajj this year, according to housing minister Mostafa Madbouly, who heads the Egyptian hajj delegation.

Saudi authorities said more than 2.3 million Muslims participated in this year’s hajj.

All Muslims who are able to do so are required by Islam to perform the hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, at least once in their lifetime. Source: Ahram online