Egypt To Shut Down Agencies Over Unauthorized Hajj Trips
The Egyptian government plans to shut down 16 travel agencies for arranging unauthorized Hajj trips to Saudi Arabia for unregistered pilgrims. At a crisis meeting on Saturday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that these agencies’ licenses would be revoked, and individuals involved would be prosecuted, according to an official statement.
The statement did not specify which agencies or individuals organized fraudulent trips to Mecca. The crackdown follows reports of over 600 deaths among unregistered Egyptian pilgrims during the Hajj, exacerbated by extreme heatwaves in Saudi Arabia, with temperatures reaching 51° Celsius (124° Fahrenheit).
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Prime Minister Madbouly revealed that among the 50,000 registered Egyptian pilgrims, 31 individuals with chronic diseases have been confirmed dead.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said unregistered pilgrims were the most affected, claiming that the tourism companies transporting them “did not provide any services.” Shoukry added that the ministry is coordinating with Saudi authorities to locate missing Egyptian pilgrims and ensure the safe return of all Egyptian participants.
Hajj, an essential pillar of Islam, sees millions of Muslims worldwide gather in Mecca annually. This year, Saudi authorities reported that the number of pilgrims exceeded 1.8 million.
