Egypt's health ministry said three more Egyptian pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia during the annual hajj season which concluded three days ago, driving the death toll among Egyptians to 48.

Three women, aged 43, 65 and 78, died of a sudden drop in pressure and respiratory failure, the ministry said late on Saturday .

Deaths from heat exhaustion, fatigue and natural causes are not uncommon among pilgrims on the hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Last year, 110 Egyptians died of natural causes during the pilgrimage, according to figures released by the health ministry at the time.

All capable Muslims are required to perform the hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, at least once in their lifetime.

Saudi Arabia said last week more than 2.37 million pilgrims performed the five-day ritual, mostly from outside the kingdom with some 600,000 from inside the country.

Around 80,000 Egyptians were estimated to have gone on hajj this year, Egyptian officials have said.