Over 60,000 pilgrims return from Hajj, 54 deaths reported

A total of 60,588 Bangladeshi pilgrims have returned home after performing the holy Hajj, while 54 have died during the pilgrimage, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has said.

According to the ministry's latest Hajj bulletin, 152 return flights had arrived by Thursday night, June 18. Among the returnees, 4,319 were under government management and 56,269 under private management.

Of the returning pilgrims, 26,868 arrived on 76 flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 21,045 on 54 flights of Saudi Airlines, 8,672 on 22 flights of FlyNas, and 4,003 on other airlines.

This year, approximately 78,500 pilgrims from Bangladesh went to Saudi Arabia for Hajj. The Hajj was performed on May 26. Return flights began on May 30 and will continue until June 30.

Of the 54 Bangladeshis who died in Saudi Arabia, 36 were men and 18 were women. Among them, 37 died in Makkah, 16 in Madinah, and one in Jeddah.

The most recent death was of Aklima Akhter, 44, from Debiddar upazila in Cumilla, who died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment in Madinah. She had arrived in Saudi Arabia on May 19.

According to the ministry, 66,249 automated medical prescriptions have been issued for Bangladeshi pilgrims at various healthcare centres in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj season. Additionally, 415 pilgrims received treatment at local hospitals, with 15 currently undergoing treatment.

In 2025, 48 Bangladeshi pilgrims died during Hajj, while 121 died in 2023, the highest in recent years.