Egypt forms crisis unit on haj deaths as toll rises

Egypt formed a crisis unit to investigate the deaths of Egyptians taking part in the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca during extreme heat, after medical and security sources said at least 530 Egyptians had died and 31 were missing.

Hundreds of people from different countries have died in punishing conditions for the haj pilgrimage in the Saudi Arabia, where temperatures exceeded 51 degrees Celsius.