Thirty-five Egyptian pilgrims die during Haj pilgrimage

Riyad: Thirty-five Egyptian pilgrims died during the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia's Mecca.

The news was confirmed on Saturday by the head of Egypt's Medical Haj Mission Ahmed el Ansary who said that the ages of the dead pilgrims varied between 60 and 85 years.

The deaths were mainly due to stress and old age.

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The pilgrimage started on August 31, with more than two million pilgrims, including 1.8 million foreigners, expected to participate.

Haj is the most important ritual among Muslims in the world. The pilgrimage will continue until next week.

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On Friday, Saudi Arabian authorities tightened security banning over 400,000 illegal pilgrims from entering Mecca for not having Haj permits.

with IANS inputs...