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View all search resultsBatam welcomes home 885 haj pilgrims in first two of 25 groups
Batam has welcomed the first two of 25 groups of pilgrims returning from Saudia Arabia, comprising 885 of 10,919 Indonesians who are expected to arrive in the Riau Islands city as this year's haj season comes to a close.
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Haj pilgrims crowd specially designated corridors on May 27, 2026, as they perform the first day of the Rami al-Jamarat, or the stoning of the devil ritual, in Mina, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
T
he Batam haj debarkation in the Riau Islands’ largest city has reported that nine Indonesians died and eight others were hospitalized while performing their pilgrimage in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia, as pilgrims have started to trickle home in groups.
The pilgrims who died comprised four residents from Riau, two from Jambi and one each from West Kalimantan and the Riau Islands.
“The haj pilgrims are returning as Batam debarkation flight groups in stages until June 30,” Muhammad Syafi’i, head of the Riau Islands Regional Office of Haj and Umrah Ministry, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, adding that a total of “10,919 pilgrims will be returning home” via Batam.
Batam facilitated 25 flight groups of pilgrims from Jambi, Riau, the Riau Islands and West Kalimantan this year, down from 27 groups in 2025.
The first two groups of returning pilgrims arrived on Monday and Tuesday at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam.
The first flight group, designated BTH 01 and comprising 442 pilgrims, arrived at 5:15 p.m. on June 1. They were met by regional officials upon their arrival, after which they were directed through immigration and health checks before being transported to the Batam Haj Dormitory.
Syafi’i said BTH 01 flight group consisted of 445 people initially, but two pilgrims from Riau Islands capital Tanjungpinang had been left behind to receive intensive care treatment at local hospitals.
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