TUNIS, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The death toll among Tunisian pilgrims who performed Hajj in Saudi Arabia has risen to 49, Tunisian national radio reported on Friday.
"Fourteen more Tunisian pilgrims died in Saudi hospitals when performing Hajj, raising the total death toll among Tunisian pilgrims to 49," Tunisian Minister of Religious Affairs Ibrahim Chaibi was quoted by the report as saying.
According to the minister, many factors contributed to this loss of human life, including the extreme temperatures surpassing 50 degrees Celsius, a significant presence of elderly pilgrims, and a high number of pilgrims with pre-existing illnesses.
The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that at least 35 Tunisian citizens died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage.
Hajj, a key pillar of Islam, is annually performed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, by pilgrims from all over the world. The number of pilgrims exceeded 1.8 million this year, according to Saudi authorities. ■