Pilgrim dies during Hajj devil stoning ritual

Olawale Ajimotokan in Mina, Saudi Arabia
A middle aged woman pilgrim from Lagos State, slumped and died in the early hours of Sunday morning in Mecca.

She reportedly died during the devil stoning ritual at Jamarat Aqaba, outside Mina.
Sources attributed her death to exhaustion as the patient was known to be hypertensive.
It was learnt that the incident happened on her way back to the canopy city of Mina, after casting her stones at Jamarat.

People at the scene said other pilgrims in her group raised alarm when she slumped and died before she could be revived.

News of her death threw the Lagos State pilgrims at their No 526 quarter in Mina into mourning after the state’s Amir Hajj, Abdul Lateef Abdul Hakeem, confirmed her death during the afternoon prayer.

Her death had now increased the number of Nigerian pilgrims that have died in this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia to six.

It was gathered that her family had been notified of the incident by a relation, who was also performing the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Also the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has been informed of the incident and has been holding meetings with Saudi authority on the modality for the burial on Sunday evening.