The number of Iranians pilgrims who have died while performing hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia this year rose to eight after three men passed away on Sunday. All three died due to heart attack, Fararu news website reported.
About 70 clinics are set up in and around Mecca hotels where the Iranians are staying. Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) hospitals in Medina are also offering medical services.
Pir-Hossein Kolivand, who heads the medical centers office at the IRCS during hajj, said 42 Iranian pilgrims are currently being treated in IRCS hospitals, while another 12 pilgrims are admitted in Saudi hospitals.
This year’s pilgrimage starts on August 30 this year and will continue to September 4. More than 86,000 Iranians are in Saudi Arabia for hajj this year after a hiatus in the wake of a diplomatic row between Tehran and Riyadh.
In 2016, Iranians did not take part in the pilgrimage after tensions between the two countries led to cutting off of diplomatic ties.
On September 24, 2015, thousands of people lost their lives in the deadly crush after Saudi authorities blocked a road in Mina during a ritual, forcing large crowds of pilgrims to collide. The crush was the deadliest incident in the history of the pilgrimage.
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