RIYADH, 2 January 2007 — Indonesians, followed by Indians, top the list of pilgrims who died during Haj this year. The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah announced yesterday that 317 pilgrims had died in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. Elderly people formed the majority of the casualties among Indonesian pilgrims.
An Indonesian medical team member told Arab News that 68 pilgrims were being treated at hospitals in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. “There are 70 more patients in my own clinic in Aziziah,” he said.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, sent 194,239 pilgrims to the Kingdom under government arrangements this year, but the number could be higher as many pilgrims arranged the journey themselves.
According to a report from the Central Haj Committee in Makkah, most of the deaths during the pilgrimage were due to natural causes. The report said that 778 traffic accidents were reported during the season. Overall 11,700 pilgrims were admitted to different hospitals due to accidents and various illnesses, out of which 10,900 were discharged. More than 800 pilgrims are still recuperating in hospitals.
Giving details of the number of casualties this year, Suhel Ajaz Khan, the Indian Haj consul, said that there were 221 deaths reported due to natural causes. Six others died in road accidents. This year, he said, India had sent 157,000 pilgrims that included 110,000 through the Haj Committee of India and the rest through the travel operators from various Indian cities. So far, Khan said, around 20,000 pilgrims who came through the Haj committee had left. Some 86 Indian pilgrims are still in hospitals taking treatment for various aliments.
According to Pakistan’s Directorate General of Haj in Makkah, 143 pilgrims died this season. Islamabad had sent a total of 159,588 pilgrims this year, including 79,500 Hajis who came through government agencies and 80,088 through private tour operators. A total of 79 pilgrims were hospitalized for various health reasons and 41 of them have already been discharged.
Ali Akbar, the Bangladeshi consul general, said there were 38 deaths reported among his country’s pilgrims; two of them were due to road accidents. Bangladesh sent around 47,000 pilgrims this year and nearly 60 percent of them have already left.
According to the Nigerian medical team, a total of 24 Nigerians died during this year’s pilgrimage. Dr. Abdul Razaq Badamasi, head of the Nigerian medical team, said the figure was made up of 17 men and seven women.
According to Abdul Latheef Mohamed Lafeer, the Sri Lankan consul general, there were only three deaths among the island’s 5,500 pilgrims. Lafeer added that more than 50 percent of the pilgrims have left for home.
