73,000 pilgrims return to home, 44 deaths reported

As many as 73,493 Bangladeshi pilgrims have returned home after performing Hajj this year.

Meanwhile, 44 pilgrims have died during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs provided the update in its latest bulletin on the Hajj portal.

A total of 190 return flights have brought the pilgrims back to the country, reports bdnews24.com.

Among them, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has operated 93 flights carrying 32,362 pilgrims, Saudia Airlines has brought back 26,684 pilgrims on 74 flights, and another Saudi airline, Flynas, has returned 8,776 pilgrims on 23 flights.

Another 5,672 pilgrims have returned on flights by other airlines

According to the ministry's data, 86 percent of the scheduled return flights have already been completed, and 86 percent of all pilgrims have returned to Bangladesh so far.

Hajj was performed on Jun 5 this year. A total of 87,100 people from Bangladesh had registered to make the pilgrimage. This year's Hajj travel was organised under 70 private agencies.

The first return flight after Hajj was on Jun 10. The flights are scheduled to end on Thursday.

Among the 44 Bangladeshi pilgrims who died during the Hajj season, 33 were men and 11 women.

Twenty-six of the deaths were reported in Makkah, 14 in Madinah, three in Jeddah, and one in Arafat.

The most recent death occurred on Saturday, when a pilgrim named Md Abul Kalam Azad passed away. He was a 65-year-old resident of Rangpur’s Mithapukur Upazila. He had travelled to Saudi Arabia on May 30 on a Flynas flight.

The religious affairs ministry has also reported that 14 pilgrims are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Saudi Arabia.