The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has disclosed that fire gutted a hotel housing 484 Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
NAHCON Assistant Director of Information and Publication Division, Fatima Sanda Usara made this known in a statement on Saturday.
Usara disclosed that the fire incident occurred at one of the hotels accommodating Nigerian pilgrims on Shari Mansur Street in Makkah.
In the statement, NAHCON said the incident occurred Saturday around noon Saudi Arabian time.
The affected hotel, Imaratus Sanan, was hosting about 484 pilgrims from six Nigerian Private Tour Operator Companies.
The statement, however, confirmed that no lives were lost, and that all the pilgrims are safely in Mina valley observing one of the core Hajj rites.
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 statement disclosed NAHCON Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh alongside some other officials promptly visited the hotel to assess the situation for appropriate action.
Meanwhile, NAHCON Chairman has ordered for immediate relocation of the affected pilgrims to a new accommodation, even as he assured that the Commission will work with the affected tour operators to provide necessary assistance to the victims.
