Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — More than 400,000 pilgrims without a Haj permit and 208,236 vehicles carrying them have been sent back from the entry points of Makkah, according to Col. Sami Al-Shuwairekh, director of the public relations and media department at the Public Security.

A total of 1,841 expatriates are facing penal action and they were handed to the Public Prosecution or other concerned agencies to take necessary procedures against them. A total of 3,296 vehicles carrying them were seized from the entry points, he said while addressing a joint press conference held at the headquarters of Public Security in Mina.

Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, security spokesman at the Ministry of Interior, said that all the concerned agencies have completed their preparations to offer the best ever services for over two million pilgrims. These included 1.734 million foreign pilgrims and around 200,000 domestic pilgrims. He said more than 50 percent of the foreign pilgrims have already completed their Madinah visit.

Mishal Al-Robaian, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, said there are no epidemics, including cholera, reported among the pilgrims. He said that it was ensured that all the pilgrims who crossed their borders to the Kingdom are free from contagious diseases. “The ministry has readied 25 hospitals and 155 health centers in Makkah and Madinah, in addition to more than 100 ambulances to serve the pilgrims. There are over 285 special rooms to deal with cases of sunstrokes and heat exhaustion,” he added.

Hatem Qadi, advisor of Minister of Haj and Umrah, said that a total of 19,500 buses were used to transport pilgrims from Madinah to Makkah. Around 9,000 buses are being used to transport pilgrims from Makkah Haram to Mina.

On his part, Col. Abdullah Al-Harthy, spokesman of the Civil Defense, said there were no accidents reported so far among the pilgrims. “The number of agencies taking part in implementing the Civil Defense’s emergency plan has been increased from 19 to 32 this year,” he said, adding that the Civil Defense conducted five drills in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah as part of ensuring its operational efficiency.