CNN
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The Egyptian authorities is to revoke the licenses of 16 Hajj tourism corporations concerned in making unlawful pilgrimages to Mecca and can refer the corporate’s managers to the general public prosecutor.

The choice was made in a cupboard assembly on Saturday after a report highlighted the doubtful nature of how some tourism corporations function and comes after a whole lot of pilgrims from the world over died in sweltering warmth.

The official toll amongst Egyptians stands at 31, however it’s being reported by Reuters information company and different retailers that as many as 500 to 600 Egyptians died throughout the pilgrimage. A CNN tally places the full lifeless from Hajj at practically 500 however the determine is more likely to rise.

The report, which was reviewed by cupboard, stated some operators had not issued right visas, so holders couldn’t enter the holy metropolis of Mecca and have been as an alternative compelled to enter “by way of desert paths on foot.” It additionally accused some corporations of failing to offer correct lodging, leaving vacationers uncovered to the warmth.

Within the assembly, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly supplied his “honest condolences and sympathy” to the households of the deceased pilgrims committing to offering them with the mandatory help.

Hajj permits are allotted to nations on a quota system and Saudi Arabia requires every pilgrim to amass one of many 1.8 million out there licenses to legally entry Mecca.

However as the price of one among these licences prices a number of thousand US {dollars}, many pilgrims attempt to entry the positioning illegally and usually don’t journey in organized tour buses with air con or quick access to water and meals provides.

The timing of the Hajj is decided by the Islamic lunar calendar which this 12 months has fallen throughout scorching temperatures in Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims made this 12 months’s journey in excessive temperatures of as much as 49 levels Celsius (120 levels Fahrenheit).

Ahmed, a 44-year-old from Indonesia, advised CNN he noticed many individuals falling unwell and even dying from the warmth.

“Alongside the way in which dwelling, I noticed many pilgrims who died. Nearly each few hundred meters, there was a physique mendacity and coated with an ihrom [white fabric] fabric.”

“Each time there’s a distribution of water from native residents or sure teams, it’s instantly overrun by the pilgrims,” he added, saying that he didn’t see well being employees or a single ambulance alongside the street.

As a part of the pilgrimage, the trustworthy carry out a sequence of rituals in and across the holy metropolis of Mecca, usually involving many hours of strolling within the scorching warmth day-after-day.

The precise demise toll for the full variety of deaths on this 12 months’s Hajj stays unclear and the quantity is anticipated to rise as every nation has been independently saying the deaths of their nationals.

Moreover, the governments are solely conscious of pilgrims who’ve registered and travelled to Mecca as a part of their nation’s quota – extra deaths are feared amongst unregistered pilgrims.