Gambia News : 300 Gambian pilgrims stranded in Mecca
Dec 31,2008 00:00
by
Anna
About 300 Gambian pilgrims are stranded in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, due to delay in flight arrangements.An official source who confirmed the situation to PANA here Tuesday, said the stranded pilgrims did not have much money to take care of themselves.
According to the source, the 300 pilgrims are all in Mecca and the flight arrangement for their journey had been a problem for the travel agency.
Relations and families of the stranded pilgrims have appealed to the government for intervention to bring back home the already exhausted pilgrims.
Buba Sanyang, Duty Director of The Gambia Immigration, who attended the Hajj, confirmed that the Gambians were stranded.
According to Sanyang, when he was departing for home, there were many Gambians at the airport in Mecca who could not get a flight, including many old men and women who could not read or write.
He also disclosed that some Gambians died in the holy land, adding that transit was not good for Gambian pilgrims instead of direct flights which are good for them.