UPDATED: Nigeria’s death toll in hajj stampede rises to 199

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) on Monday gave the death toll of Nigerians involved in the hajj tragedy as 199.

Saleh Okenwa, the commission’s commissioner for planning and research, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, saying 121 pilgrims were still missing.

Giving the breakdown of the dead, he said Sokoto lost 79 pilgrims, 59 missing in Kano while 20 pilgrims from Kano have been certified dead.

He listed other states affected as Adamawa, Borno, the federal capital territory, Gombe and Kaduna.

Also affected are Katsina, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

There have been controversies over the actual figure of those who died in the incident.

While Saudi authorities put the death toll at 769 pilgrims, some officials claim that over 1,000 people were killed in the worst disaster to have hit the annual pilgrimage in 25 years.