Five Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims die in Saudi Arabia

The government has reported the deaths of five Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia so far this year.

The religious affairs ministry said in a Hajj bulletin on Friday that three of the deaths occurred in Makkah and two in Madinah.

All of them are male. Murtazur Rahman Khan, 63, from Dhaka’s Nawabganj was the latest to die in Makkah on Wednesday.

The other Bangladeshi deceased are Md Lutfor Rahman, Md Mostafa, Md Asaduzzaman and an unidentified man.

They are among 38,990 Bangladeshis who have reached the birthplace of Islam for the pilgrimage so far by 98 flights, including 45 by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 32 by Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Flynas 21.

As many as 3,747 pilgrims travelled under government arrangements while 35,243 through private agencies.

The Hajj flights opened on May 9 and the last flight will be operated on Jun 10.

The Hajj may be held on Jun 16, subject to the sighting of the moon.

This year, 127,198 Bangladeshis had the opportunity to make the trip, but only 83,311 registered. Of those, 4,319 registered for the government-managed trip while 78,895 registered for privately-managed trips.

The price of the general government package was set at Tk 578,840 and the special package at Tk 936,320. The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh set the price of a private general package at Tk 589,800 and a special package at Tk 699,300.

A total of 116 dedicated flights will operate during the pre-Hajj period from Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet to Jeddah and Madinah.