The tragic figure includes 98 Indian nationals who died of “natural causes” during the pilgrimage. “This year, 175,000 Indians have already visited Hajj. So far, we have lost 98 of our citizens. These deaths occurred due to natural illness, chronic illness, and old age. On the day of Arafat, six Indians died, and four died in accidents,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a press conference last week.

The cause of death in most cases was heat-related. Temperatures in Mecca this year climbed as high as 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Saudi Arabia’s national meteorological centre. Riyadh had not publicly commented on the deaths or provided its own toll until Sunday. On Friday, however, a senior Saudi official defended Riyadh’s response, saying: “The state did not fail, but there was a misjudgement on the part of people who did not appreciate the risks.”