98 Indians Die During Haj Pilgrimage to Mecca This Year, MEA Confirms

NEW DELHI, June 21: Ninety-eight Indians have died during this year’s annual Muslim pilgrimage of Haj to Mecca, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reported on Friday.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that last year saw a total of 187 Indian deaths during the Haj period. “This year, 175,000 Indian pilgrims visited Mecca for Haj. The Haj period spans from May 9 to July 22. So far, 98 deaths have been reported,” Jaiswal said.

He explained that the deaths were primarily due to natural causes, chronic illnesses, and old age. Additionally, six people died on the day of Arafat, and four fatalities were due to accidents.

Jaiswal provided this information in response to a question about the deaths of Indians during the Haj pilgrimage at his weekly media briefing.