DFA: No reported Filipino casualty yet in Hajj pilgrimage

There is no Filipino who reportedly died or got hurt so far during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia where nearly a thousand people have already perished, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

“No Filipino casualties yet reported, inshallah (if Allah wills it),” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega told GMA News Online.

An Agence France-Presse report Thursday said the reported death toll so far was at 922, based on a tally of figures released by various countries.

Some of these people reportedly died due to sunstroke brought about by the intense heat. Temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, on Monday.

The Hajj pilgrimage is considered one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, mandating a Muslim to perform it once in their lifetime. — Giselle Ombay/RSJ, GMA Integrated News