Some six Ghanaian nationals on pilgrimage at Mecca have reportedly died due to a heat wave that swept through Saudi Arabia.

This tragic development adds to the two deaths reported on June 13, raising the death toll to eight so far.

Abdul Rahman Alhassan Gomba, the Spokesperson of the Ghana Hajj Board, confirmed this in an interview on Thursday evening, adding that the pilgrims were subjected to extreme temperatures exceeding 41 degrees Celsius.

In response to the scorching heat, Saudi authorities mandated that all pilgrims remain within their tents during the peak heat hours between noon and 4 p.m. local time.

So far, more than 1,000 people have now died during the Hajj pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, according to Sky News.