Mecca Stampede: Nigeria Death Toll Rises To 64 As NAHCON Identifies More Bodies

Mecca (Saudi Arabia) – The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria
(NAHCON) on Tuesday said 10 more corpses of deceased Nigerian pilgrims
had been identified, bringing the number of pilgrims who died at Mina
stampede, to 64.

Giving newsmen update on the incident in Mecca, Alhaji Uba Mana, the
Director, Public Affairs of the commission, said 244 pilgrims had been
declared missing.

Mana said 71 pilgrims were injured as against the 61 pilgrims earlier
announced by the commission.
He said of the 64 deceased pilgrims, 46 were transported to Saudi
Arabia by state pilgrims' welfare agencies and 18 by private tour
operators.

Mana also said that 12 of the 71 injured pilgrims were transported to
Saudi Arabia by tour operator and 59 by state pilgrims' welfare
agencies.

He said the deceased were from Adamawa,Bauchi, Borno, Ekiti, Jigawa,
FCT, Cross Rivers, Gombe, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kwara,
Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau, Rivers Sokoto, Yobe, Taraba,
and Zamfara.

NAN recalls that more than 749 pilgrims were reported to have died,
and 805 others injured, during Thursday's stampede on the way to the
Jamrat complex (stoning site) in Mina, Saudi Arabia.

-Vanguard