At least 90 Indian nationals have died during this year’s Haj pilgrimage, which has been hit by extreme heat, sources told India Today on Thursday.

According to news agency AFP, the total number of deaths so far is 645.

Sources said most of the deaths were due to heat wave.

“No accidents have been reported,” the source said.

Earlier, an Arab diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that at least 68 Indian nationals had died during the Haj pilgrimage, AFP reported. “Some died of natural causes, and we had many elderly pilgrims. And some died because of weather conditions, we believe,” he said.

Many Indians are also reported missing.

Earlier on Tuesday, Arab diplomats confirmed that at least 550 pilgrims had died this year, most of them because of soaring temperatures in Mecca, AFP reported.

This year around 1.8 million people from all over the world attended the pilgrimage.

The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all capable Muslims are required to perform it as a religious obligation at least once in their lifetime.

This year the pilgrimage witnessed scorching heat with temperatures crossing 50 degrees Celsius, the highest in recent decades.

A Saudi Arabian study showed that temperatures in the pilgrimage area have increased by 0.4 degrees Celsius every decade. In 2023, more than 200 pilgrims died during the Hajj, and more than 2,000 suffered from heat-related stress as temperatures rose to 48 degrees Celsius.