The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has confirmed that a total of 345 Nigerians were affected in the September 24 deadly stampede in Mina during the 2015 hajj.
The commission has also reviewed the death toll to 145, while the injured are put at 35 and those still missing, 165.
The Commissioner Planning, Research Statistic Information and Library Service (PRSILS) of the commission Dr. Saleh Okenwa told reporters on Sunday in Makkah that seven Nigerians remain admitted in hospital and are responding to treatments.
He was speaking at a joint press conference of the top management of the commission’s operational activities of the 2015 hajj exercise and the update on the stampede with the Chargé d’Affaires Nigerian Embassy in Riyadh Ambassador Tijjani Hammanjoda and the Nigerian Consul-General to Saudi Arabia Ambassador Ahmed Umar.
Also speaking, the Commissioner of Operations of the commission Alhaji Ibrahim Modibbo Saleh, said 29 of the 145 deaths are from the tour operators.
While adding that 19 were males and 10, females, Saleh said one person was injured and 21 of the missing 165 were also from the tour operators.
“Those declared missing cannot be declared dead, since their corpses have not been identified and there are ongoing efforts to locate them or identify their remains among the dead,” he said.
Chairman Medical Committee of the commission Dr. Ibrahim Kana said autopsies are being carried out on some of the corpses to ascertain the cause of their deaths and that some of the families of those that died have received the death certificates of their loved ones that died.
