• Source:JND
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The scorching heat has claimed the lives of over 550 hajj pilgrims as the temperature surpassed the 50 degrees Celsius mark at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Among the deceased, 323 persons were Egyptians, who succumbed to heat-related illness, AFP reported citing Arab diplomats.

"All of the Egyptians died due to the heat," one of the diplomats said, adding that only one person died after he sustained fatal injuries during a crowd crush. He said the death toll has been reported by the hospital morgue in the Al-Muaisem neighbourhood of Mecca.

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As many as 60 Jordanians are also among the 550 pilgrims who lost their lives, up from the tally of 41 released by the authorities earlier.

As per the Saudi study, the people in the area are reeling under acute heat. The temperature, where rituals are performed, has been surging by 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) each decade. On Monday, the temperature hit 51.8 degrees Celsius at the Mecca Mosque, the Saudi National Meteorology Centre said.

Egypt’s foreign ministry said Cairo was working with Saudi authorities to ascertain the whereabouts of Egyptians who had gone missing during the hajj. The ministry has however said there were heat-related deaths but did not specify whether Egyptians were among the deceased.

The authorities in Saudi have been treating over 2,000 pilgrims for heat stress. Last year, at least 240 pilgrims were reported dead by various countries, with most of the fatalities being Indonesians.

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Around 1.8 million pilgrims took part in the hajj this year, 1.6 million of them from abroad, according to Saudi authorities.