Padang Embarkation Hajj Pilgrim Dies in Mecca After Heart Attack
More sad news has again enveloped the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage. An 81-year-old pilgrim from Lunang, in the Pesisir Selatan Regency of West Sumatra, Imam Kanapi, who was part of Kloter PDG 11, died in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday 20 May.
The deceased breathed his last around 13:30 Arabia Standard Time at the Indonesian Hajj Health Clinic (KKHI) Mecca, from cardiogenic shock or heart attack. Imam Kanapi was known to have a history of heart disease prior to his departure for the Holy Land.
PDG 11 Group leader Ermizaldi explained that before his condition worsened, the deceased had complained of coughing and a loss of appetite. Although he initially received treatment and was stabilised, his health deteriorated sharply on Wednesday afternoon.
“Health personnel provided medication for his complaints. However, around 13:00 AST, the medical team received reports that Imam Kanapi’s condition was deteriorating and he became unconscious,” Ermizaldi said, on Thursday 21 May.
Staff promptly evacuated him by ambulance to KKHI Mecca. But despite intensive medical care, the pilgrim from Lunang could not be saved.
The pilgrimage supervisor, Asrizal, said Imam Kanapi had set out with his wife Kasiyati. Before his death, the deceased had completed all the obligatory Umrah rites with the group that arrived in Mecca since 17 May.
The body was prayed for at Masjid al-Haram and buried at the Syara’i cemetery in Mecca.
The head of the West Sumatra regional office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag), M. Rifki, expressed deep condolences and reminded pilgrims, especially the elderly, to maintain stamina ahead of the Hajj peak at Armuzna. “Reduce physically demanding activities. If you wish to worship at Masjid al-Haram, prefer the night hours and remain accompanied by staff,” Rifki added.
Imam Kanapi’s death adds to the tally of Padang Embarkation pilgrims who have died in the Holy Land this year, following the earlier deaths in Madinah of Tukiman Sadi Kromo Karso (54) and Yunilis Muin (73).
The 12th Group of Padang Embarkation pilgrims has officially become the first delegation of the second wave of Padang Embarkation to be flown to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the early hours of Thursday 7 May.