Five out of the over 5000 Ghanaian Muslim pilgrims who performed this year’s Hajj are reported dead in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after going through the entire Hajj rituals as at press time Monday, The aL-hAJJ has gathered.

The deceased, four females and a male who were said to have died of natural causes, were said to have been buried according to Islamic custom in Saudi Arabia.

The deputy Public Relations office for the National Hajj Committee, Mohammed Amin Lamptey, confirmed the death of four Ghanaian pilgrims on his facebook page.

In a consolatory message to the deceased families, Amin Lamptey wrote “With a heavy heart and sorrow, I wish to extend our special condolences to the families of the following Four (4)great Ghanaian Pilgrims who after the entire Hajj Rituals and with a valid Hajj, Insha Allah, died by the Grace of Allah. May Allah sympathize with them and grant them His favors and with Janat Firdaus. They have since been buried right here in Saudi Arabia after salatul Janahiza at the magnificent Masji Al-Haram, Makkah. Their family members have been adequately informed about their death.

From Allah do we come and surely to Allah shall we return.”

The four are Hajia Afuisa Adam from Bawku, 60; Alhaji Musah Issah Nyamekye from Brong Ahafo, 70; Hajia Nafisat Issah, from Nima/Kasuwa; 70, and Hajia Awusat Abdulai from Wa, 70.

As at press time yesterday, The aL-hAJJ could not confirm the identity of the fifth person.

Meanwhile, this paper has gathered, the Chairman of the Hajj committee, Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko and his team are making arrangements for the aged and the sick to join the first batch of pilgrims to be airlifted back to Ghana.

The weather condition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is said not be favorable to the pilgrims, particularly those from Ghana as it has not rained there for the past three years, according to the source.

The National Hajj Committee airlifted 5, 428 Muslims to Saudi Arabia this year to perform the Hajj. The figure represents the quota that was allocated to Ghana.

The number of pilgrims from Ghana is based on the Saudi Arabia quota system. Every Muslim country has a hajj quota of 1,000 pilgrims per million inhabitants, and the biggest contingent of 200,000 pilgrims will come from Indonesia.