Dhaka: A total of 67,546 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia on 174 Hajj flights as of 10:00 am today, said Director of the Bangladesh Hajj Office Md Lokman Hossain here. However, a total of 18 pilgrims died of natural causes till yesterday. Of them, 13 are male and five female. Thirteen pilgrims died in Makkah and five in Medina, according to a Hajj bulletin here on Monday.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Saudi medical team provided treatment to 34,370 pilgrims while the IT Helpdesk gave medical services to 18,210 till yesterday. Lokman Hossain mentioned that a total of 78,500 people from Bangladesh have been allowed to perform Hajj this year. Among them, 660 agencies are managing Hajj operations under private management, including 30 lead agencies and 630 coordinating agencies.
Airline-wise data reveals that 34,833 pilgrims reached Saudi Arabia by 88 flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 24,257 by 64 flights of Saudi Airlines, and 8,456 by 22 flights of Flynas Airlines. The remaining 10,844 pilgrims are expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia gradually by designated airlines, the director added.
The first Hajj flight (BG3001) carrying 418 pilgrims departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11:57 PM on April 17 for King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the first Hajj flight. Of the total pilgrims, 4,565 will perform Hajj under government arrangement while 73,935 under private arrangements, according to Hajj office information.
The Saudi Embassy in Dhaka has issued a total of 78,390 Hajj visas so far, including 4,465 under government and 73,925 under private arrangement. As per the moon sighting, the holy Hajj will be performed in Saudi Arabia on May 26. Pilgrims will start returning home from May 30, with the last return Hajj flight scheduled to leave Saudi Arabia on June 30.