CAIRO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Death toll among Egyptian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia's city of Mecca this year has risen to 68, the Egyptian Health Ministry said in a statement Monday.
A 64-year-old Egyptian died in Medina due to a sharp drop in his blood pressure and respiratory problems, Egyptian Health Ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed said in the statement.
The Egyptian authorities are coordinating with their Saudi counterparts to issue death certificates for the deceased pilgrims during the Hajj season, according to the statement.
More than 84,000 Egyptians joined the annual Hajj season in Mecca this year, which attracted some 2.4 million pilgrims from all over the world.
Last year, over 80 Egyptians died during Hajj, out of some 70,000 Egyptian pilgrims.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and among the most important rituals for Muslims worldwide, as every Muslim must perform it at least once in a lifetime if possible and affordable.
