Saudi Arabia said hundreds of Muslim pilgrims died during the hajj due to heat-related ailments. (Image: AFP)
The external affairs ministry said that the deaths were due to natural causes, chronic illnesses and old age.
The external affairs ministry on Friday said that 98 Indians died during the Hajj pilgrimage this year. “This year, 175000 Indian pilgrims visited Mecca for Hajj. The Hajj period is from May 9 to July 22. This year, till now, 98 deaths have been reported,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, during the weekly press briefing.
“Six people died on the Day of Arafat and 4 were accident-related deaths. Last year, total deaths in the entire Hajj period were 187. Every year a large number of pilgrims from India attend Haj, and some of them unfortunately pass away during the Hajj period,” he further added.
“The deaths have been due to natural causes, chronic illnesses, and old age,” Jaiswal said.
One list circulating online, accessed by the Associated Press suggested at least 550 people died during the five-day Hajj, citing a medic, who further added that the names listed appeared genuine.
That medic and another official told the news agency that they believed at least 600 bodies were at the Emergency Complex in Al-Muaisem neighbourhood in Mecca.
