Egypt s social solidarity ministry revealed on Tuesday that an Egyptian pilgrim has passed away upon arrival in Mecca, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
Khaled El-Gharbawy, 66, from Daqahliya governorate was travelling to Mecca to perform the hajj pilgrimage.
According the Ministry of Social Solidarity, Gharbawy, who was accompanied by his wife, suffered from kidney failure and liver fibrosis.
His family has requested that he be buried in Mecca, and his wife is continuing with her pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage to Mecca, or hajj, is one of the five pillars of Islam, and is a religious duty for all Muslims to perform at least once in their lives if they can afford it.
The hajj season is expected to start on 9 August 2019 according to the Islamic lunar calendar.
The death of pilgrims from heat exhaustion, fatigue and other natural causes is a regular occurrence during the hajj.
