80-year-old hajj pilgrim from Hulhudhuffaaru dies in Mecca

An elderly Maldivian woman who travelled to Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj pilgrimage has died.

According to a statement released by the Islamic Ministry, Fathimath Hafeeza, 80, Hafeezee Hiyaa, R. Hulhudhuffaaru, died in Mecca on Wednesday night.

The ministry did not disclose the cause of the death.

The funeral prayer will be held at Masjid al-Haram after the Zuhr prayer.

1,150 Maldivians travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s hajj, joining some 1.5 million foreign pilgrims.