Two more Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims die in Saudi Arabia

Two more Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims have died in Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number of deaths among Bangladeshi pilgrims this year to nine.

The information was provided in the regular bulletin of the IT help desk of the Ministry of Religious Affairs' Hajj Portal issued at 3:00 am on Tuesday, May 5. Among the deceased, eight are male and one is female. Seven died in Makkah and two in Madinah.

The two latest pilgrims to pass away were Nasir Uddin Biswas, 58, of Faridpur Sadar, and Mahfuza Begum, 52, of Chapainawabganj, both under private management. The ministry said they died of natural causes.

Meanwhile, a total of 46,514 Bangladeshi pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia on 118 Hajj flights so far. Among them, 4,701 have travelled under government management and 44,443 under private management.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Saudi Airlines and FlyNas have operated 54, 43, and 21 flights respectively for transporting pilgrims.

Subject to moon sighting, the holy Hajj will be held on May 26. A total of 78,500 pilgrims will perform Hajj from Bangladesh this year, including 73,935 under private management and 4,565 under government management.

Earlier on April 18, Hajj flight operations were formally inaugurated at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Flights to Saudi Arabia will continue until May 31. Return flights will begin on May 30 and continue until June 30.