Egyptian death toll rises during Mecca pilgrimage rituals: MENA

Four Egyptian pilgrims died on Monday in Saudi Arabia during the Mecca pilgrimage rituals, raising the death toll of Egyptian pilgrims this hijj season to 51, the official news agency MENA reported.

Yousri Shaaban, head of Egyptian medical mission accompanying the pilgrims this hijj season, confirmed that most of the Egyptian pilgrims died of heart attacks.

All the other Egyptian pilgrims were fine and there were no epidemics or contagious diseases among them, Shaaban added.

Meanwhile, the first batch of 30 Egyptian pilgrims returned home on Monday after completing the Hajj rituals.

The Cairo Airport will be on standby starting from Wednesday receiving the nearly 70,000 Egyptians who had headed to Saudi Arabia for hajj, according to MENA.

More than two million Muslim faithful performed dawn prayers on Friday on Mount Arafat or Mount Mercy near the Saudi holy city of Mecca during the annual Muslim pilgrimage -- the hajj, local newspapers reported.

Source: Xinhua