
Muslims pray at the Grand mosque ahead of the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 29, 2017 Reuters
The death toll among Egyptians on the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year has climbed to 80, Egypt's health ministry said on Sunday.
A 60-year-old man died from a heart attack at dawn on Sunday, the head of Egypt's hajj medical commission Ahmed El-Ansary said, according to state-run news agency MENA.
Deaths from heat exhaustion, fatigue and other natural causes are a common occurrence among pilgrims on the hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Last year, 43 Egyptians died of natural causes during the pilgrimage.
More than 100,000 Egyptian pilgrims performed the hajj this year, according to housing minister Mostafa Madbouly, who headed the Egyptian hajj delegation.
Saudi authorities said more than 2.3 million Muslims participated in this year's hajj.
All Muslims who are able to do so must perform the hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, at least once in their lifetime.
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