Egypt revokes licenses of several travel companies

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly has ordered the swift revocation of licenses for 16 tourism companies that organized the travel of unregistered pilgrims without providing them with the necessary services, resulting in the tragic deaths of many individuals.

The prime minister has also instructed that the officials of these companies be referred to the public prosecution, and the companies be fined to compensate the families of the deceased pilgrims.

Madbouly's directives came as he chaired a crisis cell comprised of ministers and relevant state bodies, formed to address the deaths of pilgrims during this year's Hajj season, as per the instructions of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Amid scorching temperatures reaching around 50 degrees Celsius in Makkah over the past days, about 1.8 million people from around the world have performed Hajj this year.

According to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP) last week, over 1,000 pilgrims have lost their lives during this year's Hajj, including more than 600 Egyptians, primarily due to the extreme heat.