Saudi Arabia said at least 1,301 people died during the hajj, most of them pilgrims who traveled long distances in the sweltering heat without permission.
This year’s pilgrimage took place during a heat wave, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
Saudi Arabia’s official news agency SPA said more than three-quarters of those who died did not have official permission and were walking in direct sunlight without adequate shelter.
Some of those who died were elderly or had chronic medical conditions, the agency added.
Health Minister Fahd Jalajel said efforts have been made to raise awareness about the dangers of heat stress and how pilgrims can mitigate it.
He said health facilities were treating nearly 500,000 pilgrims, including more than 140,000 without permits, some of whom were still hospitalized with heatstroke.
“May Allah forgive and have mercy on the deceased. We express our heartfelt condolences to their families,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has been criticized for not doing more to make the hajj safer, especially for unregistered pilgrims who do not have access to facilities such as air-conditioned tents and official hajj transport.
According to the Saudi Arabian National Meteorological Center, the temperature in Mecca reached a high of 51.8 degrees Celsius.
Countries around the world have been updating the death tolls of their citizens, but Saudi Arabia had not publicly commented on the death toll or provided an official death toll until Sunday.
Agence France-Presse quoted an Arab diplomat as saying that 658 Egyptians had died. Indonesia said more than 200 of its citizens were killed, while India put the death toll at 98.
Deaths have also been confirmed in Pakistan, Malaysia, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Sudan and the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Hajj is the annual pilgrimage for Muslims to the holy city of Mecca. All Muslims who are financially and physically able must complete the Hajj at least once in their lifetime.
Saudi Arabia said about 1.8 million people were taking part this year.
The impact of the death toll, particularly among unauthorized pilgrims, has been growing.
On Saturday, Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly revoked the licenses of 16 tourism companies and handed their managers over to prosecutors on charges of allowing illegal pilgrimages to Mecca.
Jordan said on Friday it had detained several travel agencies that facilitated unofficial travel for Muslim pilgrims to Mecca. Meanwhile, Tunisian President Kais Saied fired the minister of religious affairs.
Hajj permits are allocated to countries through a quota system and to individuals through a lottery.
However, the costs involved prompt many people to try to attend events without a permit, although they risk arrest and deportation if caught.
Ahead of the hajj, Saudi authorities said they had removed hundreds of thousands of unauthorized pilgrims from Mecca.
