JEDDAH: The French consul general ended his stint in the Kingdom by personally assisting 18,000 fellow nationals who performed Haj this year.

Lewis Blaine used his motorbike, accompanied by aides Mohammad Abdu and Fareed Salmi, to crisscross Makkah and the holy sites, a local publication reported recently.

Blaine performed the Haj a few years ago and decided he would not do so this year even though he would be leaving. He was able to serve his fellow nationals in coordination with the guide organization for Turkey, Europe and Australia.

This year there were French pilgrims from the mainland and the islands of Réunion and Mayotte. Blaine, whose term ended on Sept. 30, said that it was a pleasure to help out, as he had done over the previous years.

He expressed his condolences to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Saudi government and the families of the martyrs who died in the crane crash in Makkah and the stampede in Mina.

Blaine said such accidents, while rare during Haj, does not detract from the efforts taken by the Saudi authorities to keep the pilgrimage safe. “The speedy steps taken by the concerned bodies to address dysfunction during Haj was clear and stark evidence that the government and other bodies are keen to ensure a safe and successful Haj,” he said.

Blaine praised the monarch and the country’s leaders for providing quality services and improved infrastructure for pilgrims, citing the Jamrat Bridge, Al-Mashaer Train, the expansion of the circumambulation area around the Kaaba and other projects.

He said Makkah was a truly modern city with world-class services, while retaining its essential nature as the spiritual home of millions of Muslims around the globe. He thanked the government for its hospitality during his stay in the Kingdom.