HAJJ STAMPEDE : Death of 41 Bangladeshis confirmed so far

The Bangladesh mission in Saudi Arabia on Thursday confirmed the death of 41 Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims so far in the September 24 stampede in Mina, outside the holy city of Makkah.
The death toll of Bangladeshis increased from 28, as reported on Wednesday. The figure is likely to go up according to officials concerned.
‘At least 41 bodies of Bangladeshi pilgrims have been found so far. Of the dead, identities of 18 pilgrims have been confirmed and the names of 12 have been found,’ religious affairs ministry joint secretary Md Borhan Uddin told New Age on Thursday evening.
He, however, could not confirm how many Bangladeshis went missing after the stampede during the biggest annual congregation of the Muslims.
Saudi authorities have already released pictures of around 1,100 pilgrims who had lost their lives in the Mina incident as there is confusion over the death toll from the stampede.
Officials of Bangladesh Consulate General in Jeddah, along with the officials of Bangladesh Hajj Mission at Makkah were working to identify the bodies of the deceased pilgrims, said a foreign ministry press release issued on Thursday.
Saudi authorities will release details of the unidentified pilgrims once their record of fingerprints are retrieved from the database, according to the release.
It also said that 61 Bangladesh pilgrims were reportedly under treatment in different hospitals in Makkah and Jeddah.
Around 138 hajj pilgrims remained missing until Wednesday evening, according to a Bangladesh hajj mission official in Mekkah.
The photographs of probable Bangladeshi victims had been displayed in the Bangladesh Hajj Mission, Makkah for identification by hajj agents, relatives and acquaintances, said the official.
The Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh has already sought permission to keep the temporary mission at Makkah for 45 more days effective from September 28 to manage the situation regarding Bangladeshi hajj pilgrim victims, including the dead, injured and missing ones.
Over one lakh and six thousand people from Bangladesh went to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj this year, the religious affairs ministry said.

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