"Based on reports received from the Indonesian Hajj Organizing Committee in Saudi Arabia on Saturday at 9 p.m. Saudi time or Sunday at 1 a.m. Western Indonesian Time, 102,104 pilgrims have arrived," said Widi Dwinanda, an officer at the ministry's Hajj Media Center.
Speaking in a press conference that was followed virtually from Jakarta, the officer explained that the number is the accumulation of pilgrims belonging to a total of 259 flight batches.
She added that some of the arriving pilgrims had landed at Amir Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Medina, while some others entered Saudi Arabia through King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah.
Dwinanda then provided an update on the number of pilgrim deaths, announcing 15 fatalities in total.
"The number of fatalities among Hajj pilgrims currently stands at 15. In detail, one pilgrim died at an airport, 11 in Medina, and three others in Mecca," she informed.
Earlier, the Religious Affairs Ministry stated that all the Hajj pilgrims who died would get insurance and also "badal Hajj", meaning other people would perform their Hajj pilgrimage on their behalf.
The ministry has also appealed to all Indonesian Hajj pilgrims to not hesitate to ask for Hajj officers for assistance when facing difficulties or troubles prior to departures, during flights, and after arriving in Saudi Arabia
Furthermore, the government has urged all pilgrims to download Pusaka Superapp application, where they can access Hajj guidance books and videos.
For this year's Hajj season, Indonesia secured a pilgrim quota of 241 thousand through an agreement reached with the Saudi government on January 8, 2024.
The total figure comprises 221 thousand people making the pilgrimage under the initial quota and 20 thousand pilgrims under the additional quota approved by the King of Saudi Arabia.
President Joko Widodo secured the additional quota during a bilateral meeting with Saudi Arabian Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud in October last year.
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Translator: Sean F, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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