.svg)
A total of 50,111 Bangladeshi pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, travelling on 128 flights as of Friday morning.
According to Md Lokman Hossain, the highest number of pilgrims were transported by Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
The latest Hajj bulletin said 12 Bangladeshi pilgrims have died so far from natural causes, including 10 men and two women. Among them, 10 died in Makkah and two in Medina.
Saudi medical teams have so far treated 18,987 pilgrims, while IT helpdesk services assisted 13,011 people during the pilgrimage process.
This year, a total of 78,500 Bangladeshis are expected to perform Hajj. Of them, 4,565 are travelling under government management, while 73,935 are performing Hajj through private arrangements.
A total of 660 agencies are involved in Hajj management, including 30 lead agencies and 630 coordinating agencies.
Flight data shows that 23,563 pilgrims travelled on 59 flights operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, while 18,092 travelled on 47 flights operated by Saudia and 8,456 pilgrims travelled on 22 flights operated by Flynas.
The remaining 28,262 pilgrims are expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia over the coming days.
The first Hajj flight, BG3001, carrying 418 pilgrims, departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on April 17 for King Abdulaziz International Airport. The inaugural flight was officially launched by Tarique Rahman.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka has issued 78,373 visas so far for Bangladeshi pilgrims.
Subject to moon sighting, Hajj is expected to take place on May 26, while return flights from Jeddah are scheduled to begin on May 30 and continue until June 30.
