In this year's hajj pilgrimage, the death toll has exceeded 1,000, with more than half of the victims being unregistered worshippers who endured extreme heat during the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The latest deaths reported on Thursday included 58 from Egypt, where 630 out of the 658 Egyptian fatalities were unregistered pilgrims.

The hajj, considered one of the five pillars of Islam, requires all Muslims with the means to complete the pilgrimage at least once. However, the extreme heat of the Saudi summer, with temperatures reaching as high as 51.8°C (125°F) near the Grand Mosque in Mecca, has posed significant challenges to the safety and well-being of the pilgrims.

A Saudi study published last month indicated that temperatures in the area have been rising by 0.4°C each decade. Despite efforts by Saudi authorities to clear hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca, it appears that many still took part in the main rites, putting themselves at increased risk as they did not have access to the air-conditioned spaces provided for authorized pilgrims.

The death of pilgrims, particularly among Egyptians, has been primarily attributed to heat-related complications, including high blood pressure and other health issues aggravated by the scorching temperatures. Egyptian officials have been visiting hospitals to gather information and assist Egyptian pilgrims in receiving medical care. However, the process has been challenging due to a significant number of unregistered citizens, making the search for missing persons and reuniting them with their families more complex.

Egypt's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has formed a "crisis cell" headed by the prime minister, tasked with overseeing the situation and coordinating with Saudi authorities to facilitate the repatriation of the deceased.

The death toll has also risen in other countries, with Pakistan reporting 58 deaths out of approximately 150,000 pilgrims, and Indonesia confirming 183 deaths out of about 240,000 pilgrims – a decrease from the 313 deaths recorded last year.

Other countries, including Malaysia, India, Jordan, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, Sudan, and Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, have also reported deaths during the hajj, although the exact causes have not been specified.

Friends and relatives of the deceased have been desperately searching hospitals and reaching out online in hopes of getting information about their missing loved ones.

Saudi authorities have begun the burial process for the deceased, cleaning and preparing the bodies for interment. The diplomatic community is working to notify families as best as possible, as it has been challenging to inform many families ahead of time, especially in Egypt, which has accounted for a significant number of the dead.

While Saudi Arabia has not provided specific information on the number of deaths, they reported over 2,700 cases of "heat exhaustion" on Sunday alone. Last year, various countries reported over 300 deaths during the hajj, mostly involving Indonesian pilgrims.

The timing of the hajj shifts approximately 11 days back each year in the Gregorian calendar. This means that next year, the pilgrimage will take place earlier in June, potentially offering cooler conditions for the pilgrims.

However, a study published in 2019 warned that due to the climate crisis, the heat stress experienced by hajj pilgrims would exceed the "extreme danger threshold" in certain periods between 2047 to 2052 and 2079 to 2086, with increasing frequency and intensity as the century progresses.