Egypt has withdrawn the operating licenses of 16 tourism companies and referred them to the public prosecutor, holding them accountable for the deaths of Egyptian pilgrims in Mecca. A crisis unit addressing the situation made this announcement on Saturday.
Medical and security sources reported that at least 530 Egyptians died during this year’s haj pilgrimage to Mecca. A statement from the crisis unit, formed on Thursday and headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, confirmed that 31 deaths resulted from chronic illnesses.
The tourism companies responsible for facilitating the travel of the deceased pilgrims failed to provide any services, including medical support, according to the statement. These companies, whose names were not disclosed, are accused of sending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia on personal visit visas rather than haj visas, which grant access to Mecca for haj rituals.
Pilgrims traveling on personal visas do not receive the medical services provided by Saudi authorities to alleviate the pilgrimage’s hardships. Consequently, these pilgrims had to traverse the desert to reach Mecca, risking arrest or deportation, the statement added.
Furthermore, Egyptian authorities stated that the travel agencies did not provide the pilgrims with “appropriate accommodation,” leading to “exhaustion due to the high temperatures.”
Egyptian authorities also documented 31 deaths among registered Egyptian pilgrims, attributing these deaths to “chronic diseases.” Most of the deceased, however, were unregistered, according to the statement.
In recent days, hundreds of pilgrims from various countries have died in the harsh conditions of the haj pilgrimage in the Saudi city, where temperatures have sometimes exceeded 51 degrees Celsius (124 Fahrenheit).
