The Egyptian government revealed it is set to prosecute travel agents over hajj 'fraud' following the deaths of more than 1,100 who took part in the pilgrimage over the weekend.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had ordered that a 'crisis cell' headed by Madbouly follow up on the deaths of Egyptian pilgrims. Read More Aussie dies among hundreds in 50C horror: 'Found his last moments seeking God' The government said that over 500,000 Egyptians joined the holy pilgrimage officially, and that there were '31 deaths as a result of chronic diseases'.
Masses of Muslim pilgrims arrived to perform the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' ritual during the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mina on June 16, 2024 The 'fraud' route, which can save pilgrims thousands of pounds, has become increasingly popular since 2019 when Saudi Arabia introduced a general tourism visa making it easier to enter the Gulf Kingdom.
Temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday, the Saudi national meteorology centre said.