65,000 pilgrims return to Bangladesh after Hajj, 42 deaths reported

Seventy-nine percent of the scheduled return flights have been completed, and 76 percent of all pilgrims have returned home so far

As many as 64,864 Bangladeshi pilgrims have returned home after performing Hajj this year.

Meanwhile, 42 pilgrims have died during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs provided the update in its latest bulletin on the Hajj portal.

A total of 176 return flights have brought the pilgrims back to the country.

Among them, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has operated 82 flights carrying 29,860 pilgrims, Saudia Airlines has brought back 26,228 pilgrims on 71 flights, and another Saudi airline, Flynas, has returned 8,776 pilgrims on 23 flights.

According to the ministry's data, 79 percent of the scheduled return flights have already been completed, and 76 percent of all pilgrims have returned to Bangladesh so far.

Hajj was performed on Jun 5 this year. A total of 87,100 people from Bangladesh had registered to make the pilgrimage. This year's Hajj travel was organised under 70 private agencies.

Among the 42 Bangladeshi pilgrims who died during the Hajj season, 31 were men and 11 women.

Twenty-six of the deaths were reported in Makkah, 12 in Madinah, three in Jeddah, and one in Arafat.

The most recent death occurred on Jun 29, when a pilgrim named Md Zulfikar Ali passed away. He was a 55-year-old resident of Chandpur's Matlab South Upazila. He had travelled to Saudi Arabia on May 31 on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight under private management.

The religious affairs ministry has also reported that 22 pilgrims are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

Of them, 10 are receiving treatment in hospitals in Makkah, 11 in Madinah, and one in Jeddah.