THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said no casualties were recorded in a fire incident at a hotel on Shari Mansur Street in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, where 484 Nigerian pilgrims were accommodated.

The commission confirmed this in a statement on Saturday, June 7.

The incident occurred around noon (Saudi Arabia Standard time) on Saturday, June 7, at the Imaratus Sanan hotel, where pilgrims from six Nigerian private tour operator companies were accommodated.

NAHCON stated that no casualty was recorded, and all pilgrims had been safely relocated to Mina, a nearby city.

It said, “Immediate emergency response by Saudi authorities and the hotel management helped to contain the fire swiftly and prevent it from spreading all over the building.”

The NAHCON chairman, Abdullahi Usman, also visited the site of the incident, accompanied by the commissioner of policy, personnel management, and finance,  Aliu Abdulrazak, and the deputy Makkah coordinator, Alidu Shutti.

The visit was to assess the situation and ensure the welfare of the affected pilgrims was prioritised, the statement said.

Commiserating with the affected pilgrims, the chairman directed that they be relocated to new accommodations.

“The Chairman thanked Almighty Allah that no life was lost in this unfortunate incident, promising that NAHCON will work with the affected Tour Operators to ensure that pilgrims are relocated and provided with the necessary assistance,” the statement read.

The commission also appreciated the swift actions of the Saudi emergency services and the cooperation of the hotel staff in managing the situation.

It promised to give further updates regarding the incident as necessary.

The ICIR reports that hundreds of Nigerians usually go on pilgrimage to the holy land in Makkah during the Muslim festive period to seek the mercy of Allah, God.