Hajj pilgrimage: more than 1,000 dead in extreme 52C heatwave | BBC News

More than 1,000 people are now reported to have died due to extreme heat in Saudi Arabia, while taking part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Temperatures have reached close to 52C at the city’s Grand Mosque.

Many of those who have succumbed to the heat have been on unofficial trips, often without access to cooling measures including water stops and air conditioned areas.

Around two million people take part in the Hajj but each year tens of thousands of pilgrims make unofficial journeys as they cannot afford expensive official permits.

Lucy Hockings presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Caroline Hawley.

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