Hyderabad: A 63-year-old pilgrim from Telangana recently died after collapsing while boarding a return flight at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after completing Umrah pilgrimage.
The deceased has been identified as Gousia Begum, a resident of Mahabubnagar district. She had travelled to the Kingdom in late January to perform Umrah and was scheduled to return to India on Wednesday, February 11.
Begum suddenly lost consciousness during the boarding process for a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight at Jeddah airport. She was immediately attended to by airport medical staff and later shifted to hospital, where she was declared dead.
Her mortal remains are currently kept at the mortuary of King Fahad Hospital in Jeddah.
The incident came to light after Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) leader Amjed Ullah Khan appealed to India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Indian missions in Saudi Arabia to facilitate the early repatriation of the body.
In a post on X, Khan said five pilgrims were returning after performing Umrah when the incident occurred. He urged the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General of India in Jeddah to extend support to the bereaved family.
Family members in Telangana have requested authorities to expedite the necessary documentation so that the body can be brought back to India at the earliest.
In its response, the Ministry of External Affairs’ MADAD grievance redressal portal confirmed that a case has been registered and forwarded to the Consulate General of India in Jeddah for further action.
The ministry said the matter is under process and that the family can track the status through the portal.
