Filipino pilgrim died at Hajj amid extreme heat —DFA

A Filipino woman based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was among the over 900 people who perished due to extreme heat during the Hajj pilgrimage, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

"So far, only one female Riyadh-based Filipino pilgrim died of natural causes (heatstroke) in Makkah," said DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega in a message on Thursday. 

De Vega said the Filipino fatality was buried on Wednesday.

The Department of Migrant Workers, on the other hand, said that it was coordinating with the family of the former health care worker for the payment of any hospital bills and other forms of assistance.

There are about 5,100 Filipino pilgrims this year, the DFA said. 

The DFA has already sent a team to Saudi Arabia to assist the Philippine Embassy in monitoring and assisting Hajj pilgrims this year.

An Agence France-Presse report on 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 yearly 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. 

The  National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) earlier said 5,060 Filipino Muslims flew to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj pilgrimage.

The Hajj, where pilgrims walk in a circle around the Kaaba, the sacred building at the center of Mecca's Grand Mosque, ran from June 14 to 19. —KBK, GMA Integrated News