Hajj casualty: Another Bangladeshi among dead

Another Bangladeshi woman has been found among the 717 pilgrims who died during a hajj ritual on the outskirts of the holy city of Makka in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

The victim was identified as Julia Begum, 45, wife of Badrul Huda Mukul, hailing from Sunamganj district.

Afia Chowdhury, sister of Julia, was also injured in the incident, said Julia' husband Badrul Huda.

Earlier, a Bangladeshi woman, Feroza Khanam, 60, wife of Khandaker Sirajul Islam of Hatchandra in Jamalpur town, was found among the dead.

The victim's son, Sayem, said that his elder brother Shamim, who went to Saudi Arabia with his mother, informed him about their mother's death around 4:00pm over mobile phone.

A horrific stampede killed at least 717 pilgrims and injured hundreds more Thursday on the outskirts of the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, the deadliest tragedy to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage in more than two decades.

It was the second major disaster during this year's hajj season, raising questions about the adequacy of measures put in place by Saudi authorities to ensure the safety of the roughly 2 million Muslims taking part. A crane collapse in Makkah nearly two weeks earlier left 111 people dead.