Hajj Stampede: 244 Still Missing, Nigeria’s Death Toll Rises To 64

Muktar, NAHCON Chairman

The death toll of Nigerians from Saudi Arabia’s stampede during the just concluded hajj rites has risen to 64 with 71 others sustaining various degree of injuries while 244 others are still missing. Head, Public Relations at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Mallam Uba Mana told newsmen in Saudi Arabia yesterday, that the commission is doing all within its power to locate the whereabouts of those still missing.

“This briefing is just to give you an update of the situation of things as regard those that died, injured and those still missing after the stampede. We have 64 Nigerians dead from the stampede, 71 injured and 244 still missing.

Leadership report continues:

“Out of those that died, 48 are from States Pilgrims Welfare Board, 12 from tour operators. Those that are missing are from states pilgrims board and 18 from tour operators. We have set up various committees to track those missing and we are not limiting the search to Makkah,Mina or Medina but the whole of Saudi Arabia as helicopters were used to airlift victims to the nearest hospitals with several hospitals used,” he said.

Mallam Mana said the missing pilgrims are from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Ekiti, FCT, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi and Kwara states.

Others are Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.
He said that some of the dead pilgrims have been buried in Makkah but added that if the family of any of the victims intends to have the body of their loved ones sent back to Nigeria, it would be at the expense of the family.

“The commission will do all that is humanly possible to assist families of the dead get a befitting burial for their loved ones but if they intend to have the body sent home, I don’t think the Saudi authority will pick the bills,” he said.

He said the commission won’t also rush to declare the missing pilgrims dead as several committees have been constituted to search for them by combing the whole of Saudi Arabia.

Senate To Investigate Hajj Stampede

The Senate yesterday resolved to set up a committee to investigate the causes of the Hajj stampede which claimed the lives of no fewer than 50 Nigerians and over 700 others in Saudi Arabia.

The Senate also urged the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to coordinate with Saudi authorities to determine the actual number of affected Nigerians and to ensure adequate compensation.

The resolution was sequel to a motion sponsored by the Deputy Senate Leader Ibn Na’allah which said it would hold public hearing to forestall recurrence of the incident.

Sen. Gbenga Ashafa (APC-Lagos East), who just returned from the Hajj, said that the Nigerian casualty figure would have been more but for the effort of the medical teams of the Nigerian contingencies to the pilgrimage.

He insisted that the Saudi authorities should be blamed for the stampede as they did not do enough to avert it.

According to Ashafa, only one exit gate out of 10 that were provided was opened, and this forced those who should have used the exit gate to resort to using the entrance gate.