The number of Nigerians reported to have died in the Hajj stampede near Mecca, in Saudi Arabia has risen to fifty-four.

The number of Nigerians reported to have died in the Hajj stampede near Mecca, in Saudi Arabia has risen to fifty-four. The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission, Alhaji ABDULLAHI MUKHTAR, confirmed the casualty figure for Nigeria at a news conference in Saudi Arabia some hours ago. Alhaji MOHAMMED said forty-two of the dead were sponsored by pilgrims’ welfare boards of various states, while twelve had embarked on private pilgrimage.
Meanwhile; the Chairman of Taraba State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji HAMMAN-ADAMA TUKUR, has said many pilgrims from the state are still missing. The stampede during the last Hajj rite in Mina on Thursday last week claimed the lives of seven hundred and seventeen Muslim pilgrims, with Iran accounting for the highest casualty of more than one hundred and thirty deaths.