According to Reuters, Egypt has withdrawn the operating licenses of 16 tourism companies and referred them to the public prosecutor for their alleged responsibility in the deaths of Egyptian pilgrims in Mecca.
The crisis unit, led by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, stated that at least 530 Egyptians died during this year’s haj pilgrimage to Mecca. They confirmed 31 deaths were due to chronic illness, and the tourism companies involved allegedly did not provide any services to the pilgrims, including medical assistance.
The agencies are being blamed for sending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia on personal visit visas instead of haj visas, which would have allowed them access to Mecca for the haj rituals. Those traveling with personal visas were not provided with medical services offered by Saudi authorities, and the pilgrims who died had to walk through the desert into Mecca to avoid arrest or deportation.
Furthermore, the travel agencies allegedly did not provide the pilgrims with appropriate accommodation, causing exhaustion due to the high temperatures. Authorities also documented 31 deaths among registered Egyptian pilgrims, citing chronic diseases as the cause of death.
The statement mentioned that most of those who died were unregistered. This comes in the wake of hundreds of deaths from different countries in punishing conditions during the haj pilgrimage in Mecca, where temperatures have at times exceeded 51 degrees Celsius (124 Fahrenheit).
