Six people have died from heatstroke during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, amid warnings from Saudi officials that temperatures during the annual gathering could reach 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) this year, Report informs referring to CNN.
All six of the dead are Jordanian citizens, the Jordanian foreign ministry said Saturday, adding that it was coordinating with Saudi authorities in Jeddah regarding burial procedures and possible transfer of their bodies back to Jordan.
News of the deaths comes as pilgrims gathered atop Mount Arafat on Saturday, marking the main event of the pilgrimage, with the niece of one of the deceased telling CNN Arabic that her aunt had died on Mount Arafat and was buried in Saudi Arabia.
More than 1.8 million people are taking part in Hajj this year, according to the Saudi General Authority for Statistics.
The Hajj is one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world and the largest annual event in Saudi Arabia.
It occurs two months and 10 days after Ramadan ends, during the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and shorter than the Gregorian calendar, the timing of Hajj on the Gregorian calendar shifts slightly each year.