CAIRO/RIYADH. More than 1,000 people lost their lives during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to extreme heat, according to a Reuters tally. The nearly two million participants who journeyed to Mecca faced scorching temperatures.
The majority of the deceased were Egyptians. Security and medical sources informed Reuters that the Egyptian death toll had reached 672, with an additional 25 individuals still missing. Meanwhile, 236 Indonesians lost their lives, as reported by Indonesian government data. India’s External Affairs agency confirmed that 98 Indian citizens died during the Hajj.
Additional fatalities were documented from Tunisia, Jordan, Iran, and Senegal, bringing the total death toll for this year’s pilgrimage to at least 1,114 people, as per the Reuters tally. An Egyptian crisis unit, tasked with investigating the situation, took action on Saturday by suspending the licenses of 16 tourism companies. These companies were referred to the public prosecutor, accused of responsibility for the deaths, primarily among pilgrims not officially registered in the system.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
