Pilgrims continue reaching S Arabia for Hajj

The number of pilgrims who arrived in Makkah under govt scheme has reached 81,000

ISLAMABAD: As many as 129,000 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj rituals this year of which 93,000 have reached the holy land under the government scheme, while 36,000 under private scheme.

According to the spokesperson of Ministry of Religious Affairs, 47,000 pilgrims under the government scheme have arrived in Makkah after paying their respects in Madina whereas 12,000 of them have stayed in Madina.

The number of pilgrims who arrived in Makkah under the government scheme has reached 81,000.

The spokesperson said that the staff of ministry, Hajj medical mission and assistants had been busy serving the pilgrims round the clock. He said that monitoring teams were observing the private tour operators and Haram guides were busy escorting pilgrims who had lost their way back to their camps.

He said that nine dispensaries and a 40-bed hospital had been set up in the residential areas to provide medical care to the pilgrims. Special arrangement of wheel chairs had been made for elderly pilgrims and a free helpline 8000-116-662-2 was functional 24 hours.

According to the spokesperson, 16 pilgrims met natural death and were buried in Saudi Arabia.