Egypt blames ‘unregistered’ arrivals from Mecca for deaths during Hajj – DW – 22.06.2024

The Egyptian government announced on Saturday that it would prosecute and revoke the licenses of 16 travel agencies over the deaths of Egyptians during this year’s Hajj parade.

More than 1,000 people are said to have died during the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Many of the deaths are attributed to the extreme heat. At least 658 of them were Egyptians.

Temperatures in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, rose to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit) during the annual event, which began late last week.

Around 1.8 million Muslims from all over the world were expected to participate in the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

What did the Egyptian government say?

Following an emergency meeting on deaths during the Hajj, the Egyptian government said the high number of deaths among Egyptian pilgrims this year was a direct result of the disregard of regulations by some travel agencies that sent “unregistered” pilgrims.

In order to perform the Hajj, pilgrims need official permission from Saudi Arabia to enter the country. Since more Muslims want to come than there is space for them, Saudi Arabia introduces a quota system every year.

Cairo argues that some travel agencies send pilgrims to Saudi Arabia on personal visit visas rather than Hajj visas. Such visas do not allow holders access to Mecca, where almost all Hajj rituals take place.

To get around this, the Egyptian government says, pilgrims would have to walk through the desert to Mecca to avoid being caught by the Saudi authorities. Without the right visa, pilgrims risk arrest and deportation.

Egypt plans to prosecute 16 agencies

Unregistered pilgrims cannot use facilities provided by the Saudi authorities to alleviate the rigors of some rituals, most of which take place outdoors in scorching heat.

Egyptian authorities also said that travel agencies failed to provide “adequate accommodation” to the pilgrims they sent, adding that this had led to “exhaustion” among the pilgrims “due to the high temperatures.”

Egyptian authorities documented 31 deaths among registered Egyptian pilgrims and gave the cause of death as “chronic diseases.” Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said most of the dead were unregistered pilgrims.

“Travel agencies that facilitated their travel did not offer them any services,” he said.

In a government crisis report, 16 travel agencies were initially listed as responsible.

“The Prime Minister has ordered the withdrawal of these companies’ licenses, the handing over of their managers to the public prosecutor and the imposition of a fine that will benefit the families of the pilgrims who died because of them,” the Egyptian Cabinet said.

The families of some of the victims accuse the Saudi authorities or those of their own countries of not being sufficiently organized or of not providing adequate protection from the extreme heat.

What is the “unregistered” pilgrimage route?

The unregistered route to Mecca to perform the Hajj rituals is relatively new.

In late 2019, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia introduced tourist visas, allowing foreign nationals from several countries to obtain a visa to enter the country. Previously, travel to Saudi Arabia was mainly limited to business, family and religious travel.

The first Hajj seasons after the introduction of the tourist visa were restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from the difficulty of obtaining a Hajj visa due to quotas and the lottery system, the unregistered route is preferred by many because of its significantly lower cost. Hajj via the official route usually costs pilgrims from abroad thousands of dollars.

Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world and one of the five pillars of Islam. Every Muslim who is able should perform it at least once in their lifetime.

Material from AFP contributed to this report

Edited by Louis Oelofse