3,45,000 global Hajj pilgrims arrive so far: Saudi

Riyadh: Approximately 3,45,000 worldwide pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia's Madinah for Hajj as per the latest update, Arab News reported, citing the Saudi Press Agency.

Saudi had decided to welcome one million pilgrims this season after Covid-19 induced lockdowns as well as the slowdown in the last two years. During the pandemic, the pilgrimage was restricted to natives only.

Official figures from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that nearly 2,79,000 reached by air and landed at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport after the first pilgrims' flights arrived, and 66,000 pilgrims came through the land. Further, 2,65,000 pilgrims already left for Madinah to the holy locations in Makkah, while nearly 80,000 stayed in the city. Madinah administration is working 24 hours to cater for pilgrims' needs, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques also confirmed their preparedness to attend pilgrims, announcing that 10,000 workers were fielded by them in service.

The presidency further said that the major event of the Arafat Day sermon would be live translated to 14 more languages. This is after the Saudi administration's decision to convey the message of moderation and tolerance to the largest possible audience. The added translation languages will be English, French, Malay, Urdu, Persian, Russian, Chinese, Bengali, Turkish, Hausa, Spanish, Indian, Swahili and Tamil.