More than 1,000 people died during haj this year, according to a Reuters tally, as extreme heat hammered the nearly two million who took part in the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
Tragic toll © Mena Today
More than 1,000 people died during haj this year, according to a Reuters tally, as extreme heat hammered the nearly two million who took part in the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
Most of dead were Egyptians. Security and medical sources told Reuters on Sunday that the Egyptian death toll had risen to 672 and another 25 were missing.
A total of 236 Indonesians died, according to Indonesian government data, while India's External Affairs agency said 98 Indian citizens died during haj.
Further deaths were reported by Tunisia, Jordan, Iran, and Senegal, making this year's total toll at least 1,114 people, according to a Reuters tally.
An Egyptian crisis unit tasked with investigating the situation said on Saturday it has suspended licences of 16 tourism companies and referred them to the public prosecutor, accusing them of being responsible for deaths it said were mainly among pilgrims not registered under the official system.
The unit said 31 deaths were confirmed as a result of chronic illness among officially registered pilgrims.
Reporting by Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Swati Bhat Shetye, Pesha Magid, Tarek Amara, Fransiska Nangoy
A teenager opened fire at a high school in Turkey's southeastern province of Sanliurfa on Tuesday, wounding at least 16 people including students and teachers before killing himself, the province's governor said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has signaled his country's desire for full normalization with Lebanon, just ahead of a key round of peace talks scheduled in Washington.
Lebanon and Israel have begun direct negotiations in Washington on Tuesday, under American auspices, in what could mark a defining moment for a region long held hostage by Iran's revolutionary ambitions.
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