JAKARTA, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The Indonesian government reported Wednesday 70 Hajj pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia while performing the annual religious journey to the holy sites in Mecca and Medina.

    Nearly half of them died when performing the rituals at the mosques or on the streets without getting medical treatment, the Detikcom online news service quoted the report saying.

    Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, sends the largest group of foreign pilgrims to Saudi Arabia every year. Last year, an estimate 205,000 Indonesian Muslims departed for the religious journey, which is required at least once in a lifetime for any Muslim who is physically and financially capable.

    Since most of the Indonesian pilgrims are aging people, many of them are very vulnerable to adverse weather in Saudi Arabia and a high death toll has become a common report during the pilgrimage. Enditem