5 Kashmiri women among over 550 Hajj pilgrims die in Saudi Arabia

New Delhi, June 19: As the Hajj 2024 pilgrimage nears completion, 5 women pilgrims from Kashmir have reportedly died due to heat stroke in Arafat and Muzdalifa.

According to news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) extreme temperatures experienced during the pilgrimage have taken a toll on the health of several pilgrims.

“The temperature has been soaring, and unfortunately, five lady pilgrims from Kashmir have succumbed to heat stroke in Arafat and Muzdalifa of which four are from Srinagar and one from district Kulgam. The death certificates are yet to be issued,” the official stated.

Diplomats on Tuesday said at least 550 pilgrims died during the Hajj, underscoring the gruelling nature of the pilgrimage which again unfolded in scorching temperatures this year.

At least 323 of those who died were Egyptians, most of them succumbing to heat-related illnesses, two Arab diplomats coordinating their countries’ responses told AFP.

“All of them (the Egyptians) died because of heat” except for one who sustained fatal injuries during a minor crowd crush, one of the diplomats said, adding the total figure came from the hospital morgue in the Al-Muaisem neighbourhood of Mecca.