More Than 1,300 People Died During Hajj in Saudi Arabia: Authorities

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on June 17, 2024. Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo

CAIRO—More than 1,300 people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Saudi authorities announced Sunday.

Saudi Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel said that 83 percent of the 1,301 fatalities were unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances in soaring temperatures to perform the Hajj rituals in and around the city of Mecca.