Egypt revokes licenses of 16 companies for illegal Hajj organization
The Egyptian government has revoked the licenses of 16 tourism agencies that bypassed Saudi Arabia's Hajj quota by taking pilgrims to Mecca on tourist visas. Egyptian authorities have referred the tourism companies to the public prosecutor for allowing unregistered Hajj visits.
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Egypt has revoked the operating licenses of 16 tourism companies following the deaths of at least 600 of its citizens during the Hajj. Egyptian authorities have referred the tourism companies in question to the public prosecutor for allowing unregistered Hajj visits.
While Egyptian officials stated that at least 600 Egyptians died during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca this year, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly reported that 31 of these deaths were due to chronic illnesses. Following these developments, Egypt revoked the operating licenses of 16 tourism companies and filed a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor.
UNREGISTERED HAJJ VISAS
On Friday, Jordan announced that it had detained the managers of travel agencies that took pilgrims to Mecca without proper registration.
Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the Minister of Religious Affairs following reports of the deaths of 49 Tunisians, most of whom were unregistered pilgrims.
It was reported that half of those who died were individuals who had obtained unregistered Hajj visas, and as a result, they were unable to access air-conditioned tents and bus facilities, causing many of them to fall ill and lose their lives.
The Saudi Ministry of Health previously stated that they had warned pilgrims not to stay in the sun for too long and to avoid dehydration. Pilgrims who were exposed to extreme heat and struggled to find water fell ill during the Hajj.
Saudi Minister of Health Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel stated that the resources allocated to ensure the well-being of pilgrims were sufficient. A statement issued by the Saudi government noted that these resources include 189 hospitals and health centers with a total capacity of more than 6,500 beds, as well as mobile clinics and over 40,000 medical, technical, and administrative personnel and volunteers.
Pilgrims, however, often stated that they were forced to walk long distances in extreme heat, arguing that this situation was caused by the government's inadequate services.