Jeddah: A total of 75,530 Bangladeshi pilgrims have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj this year. Director of the Bangladesh Hajj Office, Md Lokman Hossain, reported that 194 Hajj flights carrying Bangladeshi pilgrims had successfully landed in Jeddah by 10 am today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the latest Hajj bulletin revealed that 18 Bangladeshi pilgrims have died of natural causes till yesterday, comprising 13 men and five women. Of these, 13 deaths occurred in Makkah, while five were reported in Madinah. The bulletin also noted that Saudi medical teams have provided treatment to 40,860 pilgrims, and the IT Helpdesk has offered medical services to 19,567 pilgrims as of yesterday.
This year, a total of 78,500 Bangladeshis are scheduled to perform Hajj. Among these, 4,565 pilgrims are participating under government management, whereas 73,935 are undertaking Hajj through private arrangements. The management under the private sector involves 660 agencies, including 30 lead agencies and 630 coordinating agencies.
Airline data indicates that 38,401 pilgrims traveled on 97 flights operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 26,981 pilgrims arrived on 71 flights of Saudi Airlines, and 10,148 pilgrims on 26 flights operated by Flynas Airlines. The remaining 2,858 pilgrims are expected to gradually reach Saudi Arabia using the designated airlines, as stated by Lokman Hossain.
The first Hajj flight, BG3001, carrying 418 pilgrims, departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for King Abdulaziz International Airport on April 17 at 11:57 pm. The flight was inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Hajj office data also confirmed that the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Dhaka has issued a total of 78,388 visas, including 4,465 for government-managed pilgrims and 73,923 for those under private management.
Subject to moon sighting, the holy Hajj is expected to be observed in Saudi Arabia on May 26. Pilgrims are scheduled to start returning home from May 30, with the final return Hajj flight set for June 30.