Dhaka: A total of 46,528 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims have so far reached Saudi Arabia through 118 Hajj flights. Director of the Bangladesh Hajj Office, Md Lokman Hossain, confirmed that 118 flights had landed in Jeddah by 10 am today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a hajj bulletin reported that nine pilgrims have died due to natural causes till yesterday. Among them, eight were male and one female; seven deaths occurred in Makkah and two in Medina. The bulletin also mentioned that the Saudi medical team had provided treatment facilities to 12,364 pilgrims, while the IT Helpdesk offered medical services to 11,055 until yesterday.
Md Lokman Hossain stated that a total of 78,500 people from Bangladesh have been allowed to perform Hajj this year. The operations are being handled by 660 agencies under private management, including 30 lead agencies and 630 coordinating agencies. Airline-wise data shows that 21,882 pilgrims arrived on 54 flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 16,555 on 43 flights of Saudi Airlines, and 8,091 on 21 flights of Flynas Airlines. The remaining 31,796 pilgrims are expected to arrive gradually through designated airlines.
The first Hajj flight (BG3001), carrying 418 pilgrims, departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on April 17 at 11:57 pm for King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The flight was inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Of the total pilgrims, 4,565 will perform Hajj under government management, while 73,935 will go under private arrangements. The Saudi Embassy in Dhaka has issued a total of 78,324 visas so far, including 4,445 under government management and 73,879 under private management.
Subject to moon sighting, the holy Hajj is expected to be held in Saudi Arabia on May 26. The return flights will commence from Jeddah on May 30, with the last return Hajj flight scheduled for June 30.