Five Ghanaian Muslim pilgrims were said to be missing at the Ghana camp at Mina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as of Friday. A source at Mina revealed that the Pilgrims Affairs Office of Ghana (PAOG) could not confirm whether the missing Ghanaians, including a Hajj agent, were killed or injured in last Thursday’s stampede which resulted in the death of more than 700 pilgrims in Mina. “Five Ghanaians are confirmed missing but cannot be pronounced dead at this moment,” the source said. The source indicated that the Chairman of the PAOG, Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko, with the support of Ghana Embassy officials and the Saudi Hajj authorities were moving round hospitals to ascertain whether there were any Ghanaians there. “The Chairman of the Pilgrims Affairs Office, Alhaji Tanko, is making frantic efforts to establish the whereabouts of the missing Ghanaians,” it said. 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. Pilgrims Affairs Meanwhile, a statement posted by the Deputy Director of Communications of the PAOG, Alhaji Aminu Lamptey, on his Facebook page said the Chairman of the PAOG had, with dispatch, established a search team “to help search and locate Ghanaian pilgrims who got missing or involved in any accident after the stampede at Jamarat on Thursday.” It said so far, information available indicated that no Ghanaian was captured in the latest news from the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj with regard to the stampede. The search team, it said, combed all hospitals for vital information, offices connected to the hajj 2015 security operations and the Muhasasa, the office in charge of Africa Hajj affairs. The statement said earlier more than 20 aged pilgrims, who were missing, were brought back to the Ghana camp in Mina later last Thursday, and indicated that they were screened by the medical team.
– citifmonline