Relatives of pilgrims, whose traces were lost during the hajj in Saudi Arabiathey were looking for them today in hospitals, fearing the worst after more than 900 worshipers died during this great annual pilgrimage of Muslims. Most of the deaths are attributed to the heat.

The majority of pilgrims who died during the hajj, which took place last week in Mecca — Islam’s holiest city in western Saudi Arabia — were of Egyptian nationality.

According to an Arab diplomat, the death toll of Egyptians on the hajj is at least 600. “All the deaths (announced very recently) are due to the heat,” as the maximum temperature reached 51.8 degrees Celsius.

Earlier, other diplomats had spoken for at least 323 Egyptians who died during the hajj, which was attended by nearly 1.8 million people this year, most of whom had traveled from abroad.

The New Egyptian Account brings the total number of dead to 922 that have been calculated so far in the hajj, according to an AFP tally based on data provided by various countries.

Mabrouka bint Susanna, 70, from Tunisia, has been missing since Saturday, when the pilgrimage to Mount Arafat peaked, her husband, Mohammad, told AFP.

As she was not registered and did not have an official permit for the hajj, she was unable to access air-conditioned areas that allow pilgrims to cool off after hours of outdoor prayer. “He had gotten so hot and had nowhere to sleep. I looked for her in all the hospitals. And so far I haven’t heard from her,” he said.

Social media was flooded with photos and appeals

He’s not the only one in desperate need of information. Facebook and other social media were flooded with photos of missing people and appeals for information.

Egyptian Gada Mahmoud Daoud has been missing since Saturday.

“I received a call from her daughter in Egypt who asked me to post a message on Facebook that could help find her,” said a family friend who lives in Saudi Arabia and asked not to be named.

“We didn’t find her on the dead list, which gives us hope that she’s still alive.”

Heat

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim, who has the financial means, must do so at least once in his life.

Hajj dates are set according to the Muslim calendar, which is based on lunar cycles, and the rituals are held in recent years under scorching temperatures.

The pilgrimage is increasingly suffering the effects of climate change, warned a Saudi study published in May, which found that temperatures at sites where the rituals are held are rising by 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade. Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims attempt to perform the Hajj through illegal means because they cannot pay to obtain official permits, which are often expensive.