MEDINA, Saudi Arabia – As per sources, a Somali pilgrim died while others sustained injuries in the road accident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ahead of the start of the Hajj.
Hassan Mohamud Jimale, 50, lost his life in a road accident in Medina, the second holiest city of Islam, and the site of the Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi).
The victims were on their way to Mecca to conduct Umrah.
According to the sources, the body is now kept in a local hospital’s mortuary until authorities arrange for the funeral in the city or transport to Somalia. The information surrounding to the accident remains sketchy.
The death of the pilgrim comes as over two million people in Saudi Arabia arrive for the Hajj 2023. Somali government is yet to comment on the death of Jimale in KSA.
On the other hand, the Somali pilgrims are said to have been placed in a 5-story building without electricity, causing the air conditioning in the rooms and the elevator to not work.
Some old and sick pilgrims are said to suffocate from the heating temperature in their rooms. The government, which recently promised to provide efficient service to the pilgrims when they go to Saudi Arabia, has not yet commented on current matter.
