A 68-year-old retired Turkish imam, Abdullah Özkan, has died after collapsing while leading a farewell prayer at Konya Airport in central Türkiye, shortly before departing for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
Özkan, a former imam from Beyşehir district of Konya Province, was travelling with a group of approximately 180 pilgrims. He also served as a local representative of a Hajj and Umrah travel company.
According to Turkish media reports, the incident occurred at about 2:00 a.m. on Friday after the pilgrims completed their departure formalities at the airport.
Dressed in the white Ihram garments worn by male pilgrims, Özkan led the group in a farewell prayer before reciting the Shahadah (declaration of faith), the Talbiyah and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
However, witnesses said his voice suddenly weakened while he was reciting the final blessings, before he collapsed.
Airport medical personnel immediately administered first aid and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). He was subsequently rushed to Selçuk University Medical Faculty Hospital, where he was pronounced dead despite efforts to save his life.
Although Turkish media reports attributed his death to a suspected heart attack, an official medical confirmation of the exact cause was not immediately available.
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İsmail Gümüş, who worked alongside Özkan for approximately 15 years and witnessed the incident, said the deceased had shown no apparent signs of illness before collapsing.
He recounted that Özkan had completed the prayer and was reciting blessings upon the Prophet when his voice weakened and he suddenly fell forward.
Meanwhile, the Mufti of Beyşehir, Enes Aktaş, paid tribute to the late imam, describing him as a respected religious figure who had devoted many years to serving his community.
Funeral prayers were held at Çarşı Mosque in Beyşehir on Friday, after which Özkan was laid to rest at Beyşehir Cemetery.
His family members, fellow Islamic religious officials and residents of the community attended the funeral.
His death has drawn attention to the emotional circumstances surrounding his final moments, as he passed away while leading fellow pilgrims in prayer shortly before their intended journey to the holy city of Makkah for Umrah.