Turkish pilgrim in ihram collapses leading farewell prayer before Umrah flight, dies in hospital

A 68-year-old Turkish pilgrim wearing ihram collapsed while leading a farewell prayer at Konya airport before departing for Umrah and later died in hospital. Abdullah Ozkan was preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia with about 180 pilgrims when he fell ill.

Ozkan was a retired imam from Beysehir, a district of Konya in central Turkiye. He was accompanying the group to Makkah as the local representative of a Hajj and Umrah travel company, according to media reports.

The Anadolu news agency reported that the pilgrims had completed their travel formalities and gathered at the airport at around 2am. Before their departure, Ozkan led a farewell supplication, reciting the Talbiyah and offering blessings and salutations upon the Prophet Muhammad.

Witnesses said his voice suddenly grew faint as he recited the final blessings and salutations, before he collapsed. The group had been preparing to leave for the pilgrimage when the medical emergency unfolded.

Medical personnel at the airport immediately administered first aid and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Emergency medical services then took Ozkan to Selcuk University Medical Faculty Hospital, where he died despite efforts to save him.

Turkish media reported that a heart attack was the suspected cause of death. His colleague Ismail Gumus, who had worked with him for 15 years, said Ozkan had shown no signs of illness before the incident.

Turkey News Agency also reported the incident on November 6, 2026, describing Ozkan's collapse while he was praying in ihram at Konya airport ahead of his Umrah journey. ARY News Urdu's report carried an Ankara dateline of November 7, 2026.

Beysehir's mufti, Enes Aktas, paid tribute to Ozkan as a respected religious figure who had spent many years serving the community.

Ozkan was buried in a Beysehir cemetery on Friday after funeral prayers at the district's Carsi Mosque. Family members, religious figures and local residents attended in large numbers to pay their respects.