A total of 65,592 Bangladeshi pilgrims have reached Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Hajj, while the death toll among Bangladeshi pilgrims has risen to 18 following the death of another pilgrim.
According to the daily bulletin of the Ministry of Religious Affairs released on Tuesday, the latest deceased pilgrim was identified as Sajeda Begum, 56, a resident of Sonagazi, who travelled to Saudi Arabia under private Hajj management.
Of the deceased pilgrims, 13 were men and five were women. Among them, 13 died in Mecca and five in Medina.
So far, 169 flights have carried Bangladeshi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, including 86 operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 61 by Saudi Arabian Airlines, and 22 by Flynas.
The holy Hajj is scheduled to be held on May 26 this year. A total of 78,500 Bangladeshis are expected to perform Hajj, including 73,935 under private management and 4,565 under government management.
The official Hajj flight operations for this year were inaugurated on April 18 at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Outbound flights to Saudi Arabia will continue until May 21. Return flights after Hajj will begin on May 30 and continue until June 30
