A total of 48,227 Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims have so far reached Saudi Arabia through 123 Hajj flights.
Director of the Bangladesh Hajj Office Md Lokman Hossain said that 123 flights had landed in Jeddah by 10:00am on Thursday.
According to the Hajj bulletin, 10 pilgrims have died so far due to natural causes. Of them, eight were men and two were women. Eight died in Makkah and two in Madinah.
It said Saudi medical teams have provided treatment facilities to 15,814 pilgrims, while the IT Helpdesk has delivered medical services to 11,955 pilgrims so far.
He said a total of 78,500 Bangladeshis have been approved to perform Hajj this year. Of them, 660 agencies are handling Hajj operations under private management, including 30 lead agencies and 630 coordinating agencies.
According to airline-wise data, 22,791 pilgrims arrived on 57 flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, 17,345 on 45 flights of Saudi Airlines, and 8,091 on 21 flights of Flynas Airlines. The remaining 30,145 pilgrims will arrive gradually through designated airlines, he added.
The first Hajj flight (BG3001), carrying 418 pilgrims, departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 17 April at 11:57pm for King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The flight was inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Of the total pilgrims, 4,565 will perform Hajj under government management, while 73,935 will go under private arrangements, according to Hajj office information.
The Saudi Embassy in Dhaka has issued a total of 78,372 visas so far, including 4,457 under government management and 73,915 under private management.
Subject to moon sighting, the holy Hajj is expected to be held in Saudi Arabia on 26 May.
The return flights will begin from Jeddah on 30 May, while the last return Hajj flight is scheduled for 30 June.
