Update: Six Nigerians Confirmed Dead, Four Missing In Mecca Crane Crash

Six Nigerian pilgrims have been confirmed dead while four have been declared missing in the crane accident which took place in a Mosque in Kaabah, Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Friday. The deceased, it was learnt on Sunday, had been buried in Saudi Arabia.

The spokesperson for National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Mr. Uba Mana, confirmed the death of the six Nigerians in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday.

He said, “There are six Nigerians that lost their lives; in Islam, you don’t bring corpses back home. You bury them where they died. Preparations are on the way for their burial as I speak with you now. But I’m sure they will be buried here (Saudi Arabia).”

The News Agency of Nigeria also reported on Sunday that four female pilgrims from Gombe State had been declared  missing following the crash. One other female pilgrim got injured during the incident.

The State Amirul-Hajj, Alhaji Abdullahi Mai-Kano, disclosed this while sympathizing with the state pilgrims in Mecca over the mishap on Sunday.