The National Hajj Board has said the number of Ghanaian pilgrims who died from last month’s stampede in Mecca has risen from eight to 10.
The Board also said 27 other Ghanaian pilgrims are still missing.
[contextly_sidebar id=”TQn60hZdluJSqeG2IxHB0jR1YObiCQFv”]A Deputy Communication Director at the Hajj Board, Alhaji Mohammed Ameen Lamptey told Citi News that Saudi Authorities are assisting the Hajj Board to locate the missing Ghanaian pilgrims.
“There are 16 casualties so far and then 10 died during the stampede. Some died instantly, some died at the hospital. We have six currently on admission,” he said.
“So the Suadi Authorities have personnel on the ground helping in the search for the missing pilgrims. We’ve had a total of 29 missing pilgrims on Monday. Out of this 21, we found out that 2 were also caught up in the stampede casualty. So if you take out the two, I can confirm that now Ghana has 27 missing pilgrims,” he added.
Ban aged from going to Mecca
Ghana’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Said Sinare has asked government to consider banning the aged from embarking on a trip to perform the annual hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Alhaji Sinare in an interview with Citi News lamented that the aged usually lose their lives during the pilgrimage because it is a tough exercise and “if you are not strong, you will go down.”
“…this is one of my recommendations that I’m going to give to government at the end of the day,” he added.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana