At least 14 people from Jordan have died in extreme heat during the Muslim hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, officials said on Sunday.
Another 17 people are missing, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, according to the state agency Petra.
The ministry had initially confirmed the deaths of six Jordanian pilgrims who suffered heatstroke.
The search is on for the 17 missing people. Efforts were also underway to transfer the bodies to Jordan and bury them.
The pilgrimage started on Friday evening in Mecca in sweltering heat.
Given the extreme temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius, authorities urged worshipers to bring umbrellas. They were also advised not to stay outside during the particularly warm afternoon period and to drink plenty of water.
Last year, about 2 million pilgrims took part in the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, which is one of the five basic duties of Islam.
Buses and trains are used to transport the many worshipers to the holy sites, but the large crowds and intense heat still pose a challenge to pilgrims and law enforcement.
Several major tragedies have also occurred in recent decades with hundreds of deaths due to crowding.
