A fire broke out Saturday afternoon at a hotel on Shari Mansur Street in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, accommodating 484 Nigerian pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj. Fortunately, no lives were lost, as all affected pilgrims were safely at Mina valley performing core Hajj rites at the time of the incident.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) confirmed the fire at the Imaratus Sanan hotel. Fatima Sanda Usara, Assistant Director of Information and Publication Division at NAHCON, stated that the incident occurred around noon Saudi Arabian time.
Immediate emergency response by Saudi authorities and the hotel management played a crucial role in swiftly containing the fire and preventing its widespread escalation, according to NAHCON.
Following the incident, NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh, accompanied by other officials, promptly visited the hotel to assess the situation. Professor Saleh has since ordered the immediate relocation of the affected pilgrims to new accommodation. He also assured that NAHCON would collaborate with the six Nigerian Private Tour Operator Companies whose pilgrims were affected to provide necessary assistance to the victims.
