Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on September 3, 2017 (Photo: AFP)
Egypt's health ministry said on Wednesday that the number of Egyptian pilgrims who have died in Saudi Arabia ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage has risen to 15.
Ateyat Mohamed Saied, 75, from Wadi El-Gedid governorate; Fawzeya Abdel-Wanis, 74, from Beni Suef; Soad Mohamed, 69, from Damietta; and Yehia Mohamed, 43, from Aswan died of circulatory failure in Mecca, according to a ministry statement.
Deaths from heat exhaustion, fatigue and natural causes are a common occurrence among pilgrims on the hajj in Saudi Arabia, which takes place this year from 19 to 24 August.
Health ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed said that the Egyptian authorities are coordinating with Saudi officials to issue death certificates for the four Egyptians.
Around 80,000 Egyptians are expected to go on hajj this year, Egyptian officials have said.
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