Dhaka: A total of 59,055 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims have reached Saudi Arabia on 152 Hajj flights. Director of the Bangladesh Hajj Office Md Lokman Hossain reported that these flights landed in Jeddah and Madinah until 10 am today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Hajj bulletin disclosed that 15 Bangladeshi pilgrims have died of natural causes until yesterday, comprising 11 males and four females. Among the deceased, 11 passed away in Makkah and four in Madinah. Saudi medical teams have provided treatment to 30,126 pilgrims, while the IT helpdesk offered medical-related services to 17,110 pilgrims by yesterday.
Lokman Hossain mentioned that a total of 78,500 Bangladeshis are scheduled to perform Hajj this year. Of these, 4,565 pilgrims will perform Hajj under government management, while 73,935 will do so under private management. A total of 660 agencies, including 30 lead agencies and 630 coordinating agencies, are handling Hajj operations under private management.
According to airline-wise statistics, 30,078 pilgrims traveled on 76 flights operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 20,521 on 54 Saudi Airlines flights, and 8,456 on 22 Flynas flights. The remaining 19,323 pilgrims are expected to reach Saudi Arabia gradually on scheduled flights.
The first Hajj flight, BG3001, carrying 418 pilgrims, departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on April 17 at 11:57 pm. This flight was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
According to the Hajj office, the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka has issued 78,378 visas, including 4,455 under government management and 73,923 under private management. Subject to moon sighting, the holy Hajj is expected to be held on May 26 in Saudi Arabia. The return Hajj flights are scheduled to begin on May 30, with the last return flight expected to depart on June 30.