JEDDAH, 13 January 2003 — Saudi Arabian Airlines is making intense preparations to transport 93,000 Iranian pilgrims — 28,000 more than last year — for this year’s Haj, Okaz daily reported yesterday.
Dr. Khaled Bin Bakr, director general of the airline, said Saudia transported more than 187,500 Iranian pilgrims on 250 flights during the last Umrah season.
About 1.5 million pilgrims are expected to arrive from abroad to take part in this year’s Haj, scheduled to start on Feb. 9.
Some 500,000 pilgrims from within the Kingdom will join them.
Pakistani Consul General Taher Iqbal expects 135,000 pilgrims from his country to perform Haj this year. He told Okaz that the Saudi government had agreed to receive 10,000 more Pakistani pilgrims than last year, bringing the total to 135,000.
He added that Islamabad will send 125 doctors and 125 nurses to provide health care for pilgrims. Up to 1,000 ancillary staff will accompany the pilgrims to provide them with all necessary services during their stay.
Suleiman Merdad, director general of health centers at the Health Ministry, said his department will operate 104 health centers at the holy sites of Makkah, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa during the Haj season.
"We’ll deploy more than 2,400 doctors and technicians to accommodate the pilgrims at the centers," he told Al-Watan.
He said that this year the ministry will operate seven new health centers in Arafat. Pilgrims stay there from morning till evening on Dul Hijjah 9 at the climax of Haj.
The Makkah Municipality will use 650 electric compactors and other equipment to clear garbage in a drive to ensure cleanliness during this Haj season.
Fire at Makkah hotel: More than 70 Indian pilgrims were evacuated safely from Dar Al-Mujahideen hotel in Makkah on Saturday after a fire broke out at a power station inside the hotel complex, Al-Nadwah reported.
