Hajj stampede : 5 Ghanaians confirmed dead in Mecca

Five Ghanaian Muslim pilgrims have been confirmed dead in Saudi Arabia by the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana.

Deputy Director of Communications for the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana (PAOG) Mohammed Amin Lamptey who confirmed the news to Starr FM, however, said the deaths are not related to the stampede that occurred in Mecca last Thursday.

Their deaths have been linked to convulsion and malaria.

A total of 5,309 Ghanaian Muslims are in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia performing this year’s pilgrimage.

In all, about two million Muslims from across the globe are performing the pilgrimage.

Over 700 pilgrims died in the stampede with over 800 people injured. The disaster is the worst that has occurred during the pilgrimage in over 25 years.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has ordered an urgent review of this year’s Hajj plans to improve its organisation.

It is the second disaster to strike Mecca in two weeks, after a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque, killing 109 people.