68 Indian Muslim haji killd

 

645 Mecca haji killed, 68 Indians killed, Saudi diplomats announce The new figures emerged after two Arab diplomats told AFP on Tuesday that 550 deaths had been recorded during the pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam and which every Muslim who can afford it must perform at least once. A Saudi diplomat said on Wednesday that 68 Indian nationals had died during this year's scorching hajj, bringing the total to more than 600.

"We have confirmed around 68 deaths... some of them were due to natural causes, we had many elderly travelers with us, and for some, we believe weather conditions were to blame," the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The new figures come after two Arab diplomats told AFP on Tuesday that 550 people had died during the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims must perform at least once by any means necessary. They included 323 Egyptians and 60 Jordanians, with almost all of the Egyptians "due to the heat," one of the Arab diplomats said. Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia and the Kurdistan Autonomous Region of Iraq also confirmed 4,444 deaths, although in many cases authorities have not given the cause of death.

The total number of deaths reported so far is 645, according to an AFP tally.

More than 200 haji deaths were reported last year, most of them Indonesian.

Saudi Arabia has not provided information on the number of deaths, but more than 2,700 cases of "heatstroke" were reported on Sunday alone.

The diplomat who confirmed the Indian deaths said Indian pilgrims were also missing, but did not give an exact number.

"This happens every year... but we cannot say this year is unusually high," he said.

"It is similar to last year, but we will know more in the coming days."

In recent years, the Hajj has stopped taking place during the Saudi's scorching summers.