Over 2 mln pilgrims begin annual Hajj journey this year

The total number of pilgrims performing Hajj this year has surpassed two million with all preparations in place for the annual pilgrimage which begins on Sunday, Saudi authorities said on Saturday.

“According to preliminary statistics, the number of pilgrims who have already arrived has passed two million, both international and domestic," Major General Mansour Al Turki, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said in a statement.

The numbers include 240,000 domestic pilgrims, both Saudis and foreign residents of the Kingdom.

However, the General Authority for Statistics will issue the final number of pilgrims who performed Hajj on Tuesday, as more pilgrims are expected to arrive in the next couple of days.

Hajj officially starts on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah and lasts until the 13th of the same Islamic month, which this year corresponds to Sunday (August 19) to Friday (August 24).

“Those who are part of the efforts to serve the pilgrims are ready and on standby at this point to receive the pilgrims at the Holy Sites," Al Turki noted.

Nearly six percent of international pilgrims have benefited from this year’s "Makkah Route" initiative, including all pilgrims from Malaysia and few from Indonesia.

The initiative facilitates the pilgrims’ journey by offering immigration pre-clearance for pilgrims at their respective points of embarkation.

The Kingdom has previously announced that it is ready to provide the service to pilgrims from any country wishing to benefit from it in the future.

According to Saudi authorities, some 21,000 buses carried some 750,000 pilgrims who visited Madinah to Makkah.

Hatem Qadi, spokesman for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, said that buses will begin ferrying pilgrims to the holy sites as of Saturday night.

He added that over 18,000 inspection visits were carried out in Makkah prior to the pilgrims’ arrival in the Kingdom.

Colonel Sami Al-Shweirekh, spokesman for the Hajj Security Forces, stated the security teams are fully ready and on alert to execute the plans to serve the pilgrims.

Meanwhile,  Mishal Al-Rubaian, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said there have been no epidemiological cases reported so far among the pilgrims.

There are 25 hospitals and 155 health centers at the Holy Sites and other areas, providing some 5,000 beds in total.

There are also 180 ambulances on stand-by for emergencies, Al-Rubaian added.