50,000 Hajj pilgrims yet to arrive in Saudi

Around 50 thousand Bangladeshi pilgrims are yet to make the journey to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.

The Hajj will fall on Aug 30 this year, depending on moon sighting. Saudi authorities last issued visas for pilgrims on August 18 and also extended the time till August 20 at the request of Bangladesh.

The Hajj flights will be operated till August 26. The first Hajj flight of Biman carrying 418 Bangladeshi pilgrims took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka On July 24.

According to the Hajj bulletin of Ministry of Religious Affairs, 77,667 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia till Friday, which means 49,531 are waiting back in Bangladesh to board a flight.

This year more than 24 Hajj flights have been canceled due to a shortage of passengers since it started ferrying pilgrims on July 24, said the leaders of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB).

Complications in securing visas for pilgrims this year have led to a shortage of passengers.

The situation has further worsened with the Saudi authorities’ sudden move to impose an additional 2,000 riyals for pilgrims, who performed Hajj in the last two years, which came alongside a hike in the fees for guides in Saudi Arabia.