Minister Of Religion Ensures That The Search For One Missing Hajj Pilgrim Has Not Been Stopped

Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas at the Campus of Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta (UMY), Monday (23/10/2023) (ANTARA/Luqman Hakim)

YOGYAKARTA - Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas confirmed that his staff together with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have not stopped the search for a pilgrim from Indonesia who disappeared during the 2023 Hajj season.

"One pilgrim who has not met until now because it is missing. But I have asked the Director General (Hajj and Umrah) to continue to coordinate with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so that they can continue to be sought," said Minister of Religion Yaqut in Yogyakarta, quoted by ANTARA, Monday, October 23.

According to Minister of Religion Yaqut, the search continued indefinitely until it received instructions or signs related to the condition of the missing congregation.

"There are many signs, whether these signs really point to this congregation having disappeared altogether or died or how they exist," said Minister of Religion Yaqut.

The Minister of Religion guaranteed that he would continue to monitor the search by asking for information from officers in the field.

"But continue, they continue to work and I get reports regularly," said Minister of Religion Yaqut.

In the 2023 Hajj season, said Yaqut, the Ministry of Religion recorded that 774 Hajj participants died while holding the pilgrimage. "The remaining 30 died in the country," said the Minister of Religion.

As previously reported, there were three Indonesian Hajj participants who were missing during the peak of the Hajj in Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina (Armuzna).

The three are Idun Rohim Zen (87) from the Palembang Group 20 (PLM 20) Embarkation, Suharja Wardi Ardi (69) from the Kertajati Group 10 Embarkation, and Niron Sunar Suna (77) from the Surabaya Cluster 65 Embarkation (SUB 65).

Two of them have been found dead, namely Niron Sunar Suna who was found dead at An Nur Hospital. Then Suharja Wardi Ardi was also found dead at Mu'aisyim Hospital, Mina, Makkah.

Currently, there is still one person who is still being sought, namely Idun Rohim Zen who is part of the 20th Election of Palembang.