The Egyptian government has revoked the licenses of 16 tourist agencies for organizing unauthorized pilgrimages, which led to the deaths of several Egyptian pilgrims, a cabinet statement on Facebook published on June 22 said.
The statement, issued after an emergency cabinet meeting to address the matter, added that executives from both companies would be referred to prosecutors on fraud charges.
The decision comes following recent media reports that around 700 Egyptians were killed during the Hajj, a five-day religious pilgrimage held annually in Saudi Arabia since the 7th century, after taking part without official permission.
The cause of death was said to be extreme heat that occurred around the same time as the incident, with temperatures reaching 52 degrees Celsius at times.
A further 700 Egyptians are reportedly still missing.
In contrast, the Cabinet highlighted that 50,000 Egyptians had been given permission to enter the country, of whom 31 had died due to “chronic illnesses.”
During the meeting, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly offered his condolences to the families of the victims and stressed the government’s determination to provide assistance.
He stressed the need to take immediate action against organisations facilitating unauthorised pilgrimages and implement measures to prevent such incidents in future.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed that the majority of those who died – informal pilgrims – suffered because the travel agency in question did not provide proper services.
The government urged people to stick to official pilgrimage routes to ensure safety and proper support.
Families of the missing pilgrims are advised to contact emergency hotlines shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah (+966565702002) and the Consular Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (27923050, 27923060, 27942782, 01006638814).
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