Half-a-million pilgrims visit Madinah

MADINAH: Around half-a-million pilgrims have arrived in Madinah to pay homage to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and pray at the Holy Mosque, according to official statistics released by the Haj Committee in the holy city.

A total of 424,014 pilgrims arrived in Madinah by Tuesday evening; 165,296 of these pilgrims have already left for Makkah while 258,660 of them are still in Madinah.

A breakdown of pilgrims who are still in Madinah on the basis of nationality showed Indonesians (57,591 pilgrims) topping the list, followed by Pakistanis (32,754) and Indians (30,930).

According to the Haj Committee, 63 Haj flights have so far landed at Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah. The committee said the average daily movement of buses carrying pilgrims to Madinah reached 356 against 488 buses leaving the city to other destinations, primarily Makkah.

The statistics showed that 79 percent of hotel rooms were occupied, while occupancy at furnished apartments was 70 percent.