18 Nigerians Died At The Just Concluded Hajj In Saudi

Eighteen Nigerians died at the just concluded 2016 Hajj in Saudi Arabia, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has said.

According to the body, the victims were from Kwara, Kogi, Bauchi, Taraba, Niger, Kaduna and the FCT.

Ibrahim Kana, head of NAHCON’s medical team said two pilgrims, including a 40-year-old woman, died in Madinah, three died in Muna, while 13 died in Makkah.

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Hajj: 3 Nigerian Pilgrims Die In Mecca

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has confirmed the death of three Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
The Commission in a statement signed by the head of the medical team, Dr. Ibrahim Kana, disclosed that two of the pilgrims died in Madinah and one in Makkah.

The dead were among the 76,000 pilgrims which left the shores of Nigeria for Saudi Arabia for the 2016 Hajj exercise.
Speaking at a meeting of stakeholders during a pre Arafat meeting held at Makkah, Kana said one of the affected pilgrims died in his sleep, as his team is still working to know the circumstances surrounding the death of the two others.

Kana, however, disclosed that medical personnel had been distributed to all Nigerian camps to ensure prompt response to the medical needs of Nigerians.
He noted that NAHCON had procured three new ambulances and sufficient drugs to take care of Nigerian pilgrims during the Arafat period, adding that pilgrims should not wander about on sunny afternoon because of heat stroke in Makkah and Madinah.

Over three million pilgrims will perform this year’s Hajj which starts with movement to Muna Saturday, Arafat and Muzdalifa on Sunday, September 11 and throwing stones at the devil (Jamrah) on Monday, September 12.

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Pilgrims Are Given Identification Bracelet For Safety Purpose

Saudi Arabia has begun issuing hajj pilgrims with identification bracelets one year after a stampede killed around 2,300 people. The bracelets are a reassurance to some pilgrims, though their distribution has been far from systematic ahead of the formal start of the hajj on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia announced an investigation into last year’s stampede which happened during the hajj stoning ritual, but no findings have ever been published. Public statements and Saudi press reports show that changes have been made to prevent overcrowding even though no one was ever blamed for the tragedy. After the disaster — the worst ever in hajj history — some foreign officials expressed concern about difficulties in identifying the dead. Each plasticised paper bracelet carries a bar code readable by smartphone. It indicates the pilgrim’s identity, nationality and place of lodging in Mecca. Additional data includes a contact in the pilgrim’s delegation and details provided when his or her visa was issued, the vice secretary of the ministry of hajj and umrah, Issa Rawas, told AFP. “The aim is to equip all pilgrims” from abroad, who are expected to number more than 1.4 million, he said. Rawas did not specify the number of bracelets issued so far.

Nabil Melhem, 61, a Palestinian bricklayer, wears one of the official bracelets, which he said cost about two riyals (53 cents). It is “like a passport,” said Melhem, of the occupied West Bank. The bracelet is two centimetres (almost an inch) wide and coloured green for pilgrims from Arab countries. “If we get lost, if we die, if we are sick or unable to talk, they can contact our delegation, thanks to the bracelet,” he told AFP. In the crowds which fill the Grand Mosque and its surroundings day and night, AFP saw numerous pilgrims wearing bracelets. But some were issued by travel agents and don’t include the data recorded in the government’s bracelet.

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