Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Saturday ordered 16 tourism companies to be stripped of their licenses and referred their managers to the public prosecutor's office for illegally taking pilgrims to Mecca, the cabinet said.

"The prime minister has ordered the licenses of these companies to be revoked, their managers to be referred to the public prosecutor and the imposition of a fine to benefit the families of the pilgrims who died because of them," the cabinet said in a statement.