A total of 79,164 Bangladeshi pilgrims have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform the holy Hajj.

They traveled on 201 flights operated by three airlines. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has confirmed that 24 Bangladeshi pilgrims have died in Saudi Arabia so far.

According to the bulletin, among the 24 deceased Bangladeshi pilgrims, 17 were men and seven were women. Of them, 15 passed away in Mecca and nine in Medina.

So far, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has operated 98 flights, while Saudia has operated 73 flights and Flynas has operated 30 flights for transporting pilgrims.

This year, a total of 78,500 pilgrims from Bangladesh are scheduled to perform Hajj. Of them, 4,565 are traveling under the government scheme, while 73,935 are going through private agencies. Including additional personnel involved in Hajj management outside the original quota, the total number of travelers has exceeded 79,000.

Earlier, on 18 April, this year’s Hajj flight operations were formally inaugurated at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by Tarique Rahman.

According to the schedule, all outbound Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia were completed on 21 May. The holy Hajj is scheduled to take place on 26 May. Return flights are expected to begin on 30 May and continue in phases until 30 June.