DUBAI, Jan 3 (Bernama) — As many as 221 Indian pilgrims died during the Haj this year due to natural causes, while six others were killed in road accidents, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported Wednesday.
The Indian Haj consul Suhel Ajaz Khan said that India sent 157,000 pilgrims that included 110,000 who came through the Haj Committee of India and while the rest arrived through the travel operators from various Indian cities.
Suhel said that so far around 20,000 pilgrims who came through the Haj committee had left. Some 86 Indian pilgrims are still in hospitals receiving treatment for various aliments, he was quoted as saying.
Indonesians, followed by Indians, top the list of pilgrims who died during Haj this year.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah announced 317 pilgrims had died in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
According to a report from the Central Haj Committee in Makkah, most of the deaths during the pilgrimage were due to natural causes.
The report said that 778 traffic accidents were reported during the season. Overall 11,700 pilgrims were admitted to different hospitals due to accidents and various illnesses, out of which 10,900 were discharged.
More than 800 pilgrims are still recuperating in hospitals.