Egypt's Ministry of Health announced on Monday that the number of Egyptian pilgrims who have died this year ahead of the annual Islamic hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has reached 11.
The ministry said in a statement that 70-year-old Mosaad Abdel-Hamid from Gharbia and 53-year-old Sohair Youssef from Aswan have died of circulatory collapse in Mecca.
Health ministry spokesperson Khaled Meghad said that Egyptian authorities are coordinating with Saudi officials to issue death certificates for the two Egyptians.
Deaths from heat exhaustion, fatigue and natural causes are a common occurrence among pilgrims on the hajj in Saudi Arabia.
The hajj will take place this year over five days from 19-24 August.
Around 80,000 Egyptians are expected to go on the hajj this year, Egyptian officials have said.
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