RIYADH, 25 December 2004 — An Indonesian Haj pilgrim died following a heart attack aboard a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight heading to Madinah.
The Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah identified the pilgrim as Muhammad Nisan ibn Nikam, 62. He complained of chest pain three hours after Flight SV 5195 took off from Jakarta at 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Each Haj charter carries a doctor and two paramedics on board to attend to the medical needs of pilgrims. The medical team did its best to save Nikam’s life but unfortunately they could not succeed,” said Sabilillah Maqom, consul-information at the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah.
Nikam’s funeral took place in the presence of a large number of Indonesian pilgrims, volunteers and officials from the Indonesian government at the burial grounds located in the vicinity of the Prophet’s Mosque.
Nikam’s daughter Maysitoh was quoted by the Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry’s official website as saying that her father might have suffered a heart attack. She said her father once received treatment at the Harapan Kita Heart Hospital in West Jakarta. “But he looked healthy before departure and he was determined to go on the pilgrimage,” she said.
