Key Points
- An Australian man is reportedly among the hundreds of people who have died while undertaking this year's Hajj.
- Temperatures reached 50C in Saudi Arabia during the annual pilgrimage.
- There are reports that at least 1,000 people have died along the Hajj trail this year.
An Australian man is among hundreds of people who have died during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told SBS News that they are providing consular assistance to the family of a man who died in Saudi Arabia but is unable to provide further details due to privacy obligations.
"We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time," a spokesperson said in a statement.
With temperatures reaching more than 50C in Saudi Arabia, the often gruelling nature of the pilgrimage has led to .
The most recent death toll has reported that at least 1,000 people from around 10 different countries have died during this year's Hajj.
Almost two million people participated in this year's Hajj pilgrimage, in which Muslims from around the world gather in Saudi Arabia to visit the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
The Hajj pilgrimage includes circling the Kaaba, a stone building at the centre of the Great Mosque in Mecca. Source: AAP / Stringer/EPA
Participants from outside Saudi Arabia must register for an official permit from the Saudi government and pay between $4,000 and $15,000 for a Hajj package.
There are reports that around half of the people who have died were unregistered — meaning they were unable to access the air-conditioned facilities provided by Saudi authorities along the Hajj route.
Yahya Ibrahim, a Muslim chaplain at Curtin University and the University of Western Australia, told the ABC's RN Breakfast program that unregistered participants often come to Saudi Arabia on a tourist or study visa and overstay to participate in Hajj.
"They do want to perform the pilgrimage, though they do it without the necessary licenses and the necessary hotel accommodations and … will kind of rough it," he said.
Ibrahim said unregistered pilgrims undertake the Hajj "along with the other millions of people ... who actually have [registered], from destination to destination with people who are looking after them."
Funeral prayers have been read for the Australian man who has died. He has not been formally identified.
