Officials confirm 64 Pakistani pilgrims died in Saudi during Hajj 2018

Pakistani officials have confirmed that 64 pilgrims died during their stay in Saudi Arabia while performing Hajj this year, according to local media reports.

The death toll included 16 female and 48 male pilgrims, a spokesman of Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony was quoted as saying. The ages of the deceased ranged from the 40s to the late 80s.

Among the victims, 46 died in Makkah, seven in Madinah, seven in Mina and four passed away in Arafat. Media reports claimed most of the deaths occurred due to suffocation or road accidents.

The dead have been buried in the kingdom’s Hejaz region, in accordance with the wishes of their families.

Last year, 108 Pakistani pilgrims died during Hajj.

This year, a total of 184,210 pilgrims from Pakistan went to Saudi to take part in the annual pilgrimage.

Overall, the kingdom welcomes more than 2.3 million pilgrims from across the world for Hajj 2018. No major health problems or other issues were reported.

Also read: In pictures, video: Over 2.3 million Muslims undertake Hajj in 2018