49th Day Of Hajj Operations, PPIH Saudi Arabia Recorded 67 Congregants Died

Head of the Saudi Arabia Hajj Organizing Committee (PPIH) Arsad Hidayat/DOK Kemenag-VOI

JAKARTA - The operation of the Hajj pilgrimage 1443 H/2022 AD has entered its 49th day. The departure and peak phases of Hajj, Arafah-Muzdalifah-Mina (Armuzna) have been passed. Currently, the repatriation phase of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims is underway.

Data on the Integrated Hajj Information and Computerized System (Siskohat) as of today, Friday, July 22, stated that more than 20 thousand regular pilgrims have arrived in Indonesia.

Most of the pilgrims are currently in Makkah awaiting their scheduled return or movement to Madinah. Since July 21, 2022, the pilgrims who departed for the second wave have gradually departed from Mecca to Medina.

They will undergo Arbain worship (prayer in congregation 40 times at the Prophet's Mosque), before returning to the country via Amir Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Airport (AMAA) Medina.

Meanwhile, Siskohat noted that up to this day, there were 67 Indonesian pilgrims who died. A total of 27 worshipers died during the pre-Armuzna period, in the span of June 4 to July 7, 2022.

There are 16 pilgrims who died during the Armuzna period, July 8-12 2022. The remaining 24 pilgrims died during the period after the peak of the Armuzna pilgrimage, July 13 until now.

"The number of pilgrims who died up to the 67th day of Hajj operations was 67 people," explained Saudi Arabia's Head of the Hajj Organizing Committee (PPIH) Arsad Hidayat in an electronic message received in Jakarta, Thursday, July 22.

What is the data on congregations who died in previous years on the same operational day? Arsad explained that in 2014, on the 49th day of Hajj operations, there were 236 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims who died out of 168,800 Indonesian Hajj quotas (0.14 percent). This quota amount remained in 2015 and 2016. While the congregation who died were 539 (0.32 percent) in 2015 and 276 (0.16 percent) in 2016.

"The number of pilgrims who died in 2015 rose significantly because at that time there was a crane crash at the Grand Mosque and a congregational collision in Mina," said Arsad, who that year served as Head of the Makkah Daker and was asked to be the spokesman for PPIH Saudi Arabia.

Since 2017, Arsad continued, Indonesia's hajj quota has returned to normal, 204,000. On the 49th day of Hajj operations that year, there were 508 pilgrims who died (0.25 percent). The following year (2018), on the same operational day, 263 pilgrims died (0.13 percent).

"Indonesia's hajj quota increased again in the 2019 hajj season to 214,000. At that time, on the 49th operational day, 341 worshipers died or 0.16 percent," explained Arsad.

"This year, with a quota of 100,015 congregations, it was recorded that 67 pilgrims died on the 49th day of operation or 0.07 percent. Hopefully the Indonesian Hajj pilgrims are always healthy, returning to the country goes smoothly, and is blessed. Amen," he hoped.