Fourth Egyptian pilgrim dies in Saudi Arabia: Health Ministry

CAIRO - 21 August 2017: The fourth Egyptian pilgrim died on Sunday evening during pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian Health Ministry said.

The head of Egypt’s official Hajj medical mission for this pilgrimage season, Ahmed el-Ansari, clarified that the pilgrim, 70-year-old Saeed Mohammed Mohammed Abdel-Ghaffar from Menoufia governorate, died from a heart attack in a hospital in Medina.

He noted that the emergency room of Egypt’s medical mission in Mecca was notified of the death case, and a death certificate will be issued after coordinating with the concerned authorities.

A total of 78,000 Egyptians are registered to have traveled to Hajj this year, including 22,000 who have won the governmental Hajj draw.

The number of Egyptian pilgrims has risen by five percent in five years, a statement said, adding that the ministry exerts all efforts to ensure the safety and security of the pilgrims before and after completion of the Hajj rituals.

Three days ago, the first batch of more than 5,000 Egyptian pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia, with 1,289 of those having arrived at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport and 4,565 others at Medina, Egypt’s consul general in Jeddah, Hazem Ramadan, said.