Egypt has revoked the licenses of 16 tourism companies it found responsible for the death of an Egyptian pilgrim in Mecca and sent them to prosecutors, the Crisis Management Unit in charge of handling the situation said on Saturday.
At least 530 Egyptians have died during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this year, medical and security sources said, while a statement from a force formed on Thursday and led by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said 31 deaths were confirmed due to chronic diseases.
The statement said the travel companies that arranged the trips of those who died had not provided any services, including medical care, but did not name the companies involved.
These agencies have been accused of sending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia on personal visit visas rather than hajj visas which allow access to Mecca, where the hajj rites are held.
Medical services provided by Saudi authorities to ease the hardships of the pilgrimage are not available to those travelling on personal visas, the statement said, adding that the pilgrims who died had had to walk through the desert to reach Mecca to avoid arrest and deportation.
Egyptian authorities also said travel agencies had failed to provide pilgrims with “adequate accommodation”, adding that this had caused them to suffer from “heat fatigue”.
Egyptian authorities also recorded 31 deaths among registered Egyptian pilgrims, citing “chronic illnesses” as the cause of death.
Most of the deaths were not registered, the statement said.
Hundreds of people from different countries have died in Saudi Arabian cities recently for the Hajj pilgrimage amid harsh conditions, with temperatures sometimes reaching above 51 degrees Celsius (124 degrees Fahrenheit).
