More than 65,000 Bangladeshi pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj this year, according to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
A total of 65,592 pilgrims reached Saudi Arabia on 169 flights as of Tuesday (May 19), the ministry said in its daily bulletin published on the Hajj portal.
The ministry also confirmed the death of another Bangladeshi pilgrim, raising the total number of deaths this Hajj season to 18.
The latest deceased pilgrim was Sajeda Begum, 56, from Sonagazi in Feni. She travelled to Saudi Arabia under private Hajj management and died in Mecca on Sunday.
Among the 18 deceased pilgrims, 13 were men and five were women. Of them, 13 died in Mecca and five in Medina.
So far, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has operated 86 Hajj flights, while Saudi Airlines operated 61 and Flynas operated 22 flights.
This year, 78,500 Bangladeshis are expected to perform Hajj. Of them, 73,935 are travelling under private management and 4,565 under government arrangements.
This year’s Hajj flight operations began on April 18 at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. Outbound flights to Saudi Arabia will continue until May 21.
Return flights after Hajj are scheduled to begin on May 30 and continue until June 30.
