Bengaluru, 20 June

Two pilgrims from Bengaluru are among the hundreds of people who died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, officials said on Thursday.

The deceased are Kouser Rukhsana, 69, and Abdul Ansari, 54, residents of RT Nagar and Frazer Town, respectively, they said. Due to the intense heatwave, the two pilgrims from Bengaluru, like many other nationals, died of dehydration and sunstroke. "The tragedy occurred when the pilgrims were reportedly taking part in the Ramy al-jamarat (stoning of the devil) ritual at Mina valley located on the outskirts of Mecca," S Sarfaraz Khan, Executive Officer of the Karnataka State Haj Committee, told PTI.

Citing the customs and agreements with the Saudi Arabian government, he said bodies of the pilgrims who die during the pilgrimage are not brought back to their native place. "So, bodies of both Rukhsana and Ansari have been buried there by the authorities concerned and death certificates will also be handed over to their spouses," Khan said.

According to him, both the victims, along with other pilgrims, were scheduled to return here on 22 June. This year, the state government received close to 13,500 applications, out of which over 10,300 people undertook Hajj pilgrimage.