Egypt’s government has taken action against travel agencies facilitating pilgrims’ journey to Saudi Arabia after hundreds died in the desert heat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, saying on Saturday it had suspended the licences of 16 companies.
Travellers endured the highest temperatures during the Hajj, with at least 450 people dying Temperatures ranged from 108 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (42 to 49 degrees Celsius). But the actual death toll is expected to be higher as governments get more accurate death tolls. (Egypt, for example, officially acknowledged only 31 deaths.)
The Egyptian government announced the suspension of the operations of the 16 travel companies, saying they failed to provide important services such as medical care to pilgrims. The Egyptian government said the companies did not provide “proper accommodation” for the pilgrims, causing them to “exhaust due to the high temperature.”
The Associated Press reported that some travel agencies may not be officially registered to participate in the pilgrimage. The companies have been accused of allowing pilgrims to travel to Saudi Arabia on individual visas rather than Hajj visas, which would have allowed them to access medical care and visit holy sites, the Associated Press said.
There were also complaints that pilgrims were not provided with adequate cooling stations or water during the scorching summer heat.
The large number of unregistered tourists — combined with the desert’s blistering heat — may have left Saudi Arabia ill-prepared to handle such a large influx of visitors.
The Tunisian government said The death toll among pilgrims in the country is expected to rise from the 49 reported on Friday as the number of pilgrims who travelled to Syria on tourist visas becomes clearer.
The Hajj has been marred by several tragedies, including a deadly stampede in 2015 More than 2,200 peopleIn recent years, as temperatures have risen, many pilgrims have Death from heat stress.
The Saudi government said that during this year’s Hajj, more than 1.8 million Muslims traveled to Mecca, including 1.6 million from outside Saudi Arabia.
