Jeddah: A total of 52,350 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims have so far reached Saudi Arabia through 134 Hajj flights. Director of the Bangladesh Hajj Office Md Lokman Hossain stated that these flights had successfully landed in Jeddah by 10 am today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, 13 pilgrims have died due to natural causes until yesterday, with ten being male and three female. Eleven deaths occurred in Makkah, while two were reported in Medina. It was noted that the Saudi medical team provided treatment facilities to 24,939 pilgrims, and the IT Helpdesk offered medical services to 15,020 pilgrims until yesterday.
A total of 78,500 people from Bangladesh have been permitted to perform Hajj this year. Among them, 660 agencies are managing Hajj operations under private management, which include 30 lead agencies and 630 coordinating agencies. Airline-wise data revealed that 25,046 pilgrims arrived on 63 flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 18,848 on 49 flights of Saudi Airlines, and 8,456 on 22 flights of Flynas Airlines. The remaining 26,026 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, inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Of the total pilgrims, 4,565 will perform Hajj under government management, while 73,935 will do so under private arrangements, as per Hajj office information.
The Saudi Embassy in Dhaka has issued a total of 78,376 visas so far, including 4,454 under government management and 73,922 under private management. Subject to moon sighting, the holy Hajj is expected to take place in Saudi Arabia on May 26, with return flights commencing from Jeddah on May 30 and concluding on June 30.