logo
Saudi: 2 pilgrims saved by medics after suffering health issues at Makkah Grand Mosque

Saudi: 2 pilgrims saved by medics after suffering health issues at Makkah Grand Mosque

Khaleej Times12-04-2025

Two Umrah performers who suffered health issues during their pilgrimage, were rescued by medics and volunteer teams of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) at Makkah's Grand Mosque.
Saudi Press Agency reported that an Indonesian man in his late 50s had suffered a cardiac arrest in the Mas'a area. He was revived with CPR, including the use of LUCAS (Lund University Cardiopulmonary Assist System) and AED (Automated External Defibrillator).
Meanwhile, an Indian man in his 80s had shown stroke symptoms and was promptly transferred for urgent care.
In September 2024, SRCA had intervened to save the life of an Indonesian pilgrim who experienced a cardiac arrest in the Mas'a area.
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had earlier issued a stricter health advisory for Haj pilgrims planning to undertake the annual pilgrimage in 2025.
It recommended only healthy and physically fit individuals perform the pilgrimage as the arduous and strenuous pilgrimage involves walking up to 25km in a day in the extreme summer heat of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Ministry of Health recommended that individuals who are elderly (over 65), have chronic diseases, such as heart, kidney, or respiratory issues, or diabetes, have immune deficiencies, whether congenital or acquired, have cancer, are terminally ill, are pregnant, or are children under 12 should consider postponing their Haj and Umrah pilgrimage this year.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat for most sacred day of Hajj
Pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat for most sacred day of Hajj

The National

time2 days ago

  • The National

Pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat for most sacred day of Hajj

Pilgrims gathered at Mount Arafat on Thursday for the pinnacle of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, standing in prayer and reflection on the outskirts of Makkah. Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to avoid being outdoors during the hottest hours of the day, as temperatures soar past 40°C. With more than two million pilgrims converging on Makkah this year, officials increased safety measures amid the heat, enforcing strict penalties against unauthorised visitors to curb overcrowding. Hajj, one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, began this week. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is mandatory for Muslims who are able to do so to perform the pilgrimage once in their lives. Thousands of worshippers made their way to the hill and surrounding plains of Arafat before dawn on Thursday, to commemorate the final sermon delivered by the Prophet Mohammed. The Saudi Press Agency reported that 2,443 pilgrims from 100 countries, hosted under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Guests Programme for Hajj, Umrah and Visit, had settled into their accommodation on Arafat. The programme, overseen by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, in co-operation with other government agencies, provides comprehensive spiritual and logistical support, the agency said. Officials say all resources have been mobilised to ensure a safe, comfortable and spiritually fulfilling experience, the SPA added. Authorities this week advised pilgrims to remain in their air-conditioned tents between 10am and 4pm on Thursday, when the desert heat peaks. What is Arafat Day? Arafat Day is one of the holiest days in the Islamic calendar. It falls on the ninth day of Dhu Al Hijja, the final month of the lunar year, and represents the spiritual climax of Hajj. Millions of pilgrims mark the day by gathering at Mount Arafat to perform wuquf – the ritual of standing in prayer and devotion. This rite is considered the most essential pillar of Hajj and, without it, the pilgrimage is deemed incomplete. For Muslims not performing Hajj, Arafat Day is a time of fasting, worship and introspection. Fasting on this day is believed to expiate the sins of the previous and coming year. In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as several other Muslim-majority countries, Arafat Day is a public holiday. It precedes Eid Al Adha, the "festival of the sacrifice", which begins this year on Friday, June 6, and runs until Sunday, June 8.

Million-plus pilgrims begin Haj under the blazing sun
Million-plus pilgrims begin Haj under the blazing sun

Khaleej Times

time2 days ago

  • Khaleej Times

Million-plus pilgrims begin Haj under the blazing sun

More than a million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the Haj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year's 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat. With temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the holy Kaaba — the black cube at the heart of Makkah's Grand Mosque which is Islam's holiest site. State media reported that others had begun arriving in the sprawling tent city of Mina on the holy city of Makkah's outskirts where they will stay overnight before the hajj's high-point on Thursday — prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mouhammad (peace be upon him) is believed to have delivered his final sermon. About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. Authorities have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C (125.2F). On Wednesday, pilgrims will perform the tawaf — walking seven times around the Kaaba, which Muslims pray towards each day. Before entering Makkah, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour. Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality. Women, in turn, wear loose dresses, also white, exposing just their faces and hands. Pilgrims arriving on buses had begun already trickling into Mina on Tuesday afternoon, greeted by staff offering them coffee and dates. "I am so happy, it's such an amazing feeling," said Reem Al Shogre, a 35-year-old Saudi performing the pilgrimage for the first time. - Artificial intelligence - Following last year's lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection. Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Hajj Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah told AFP last week. Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds. Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses. This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts. Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. Large crowds at the hajj have proved hazardous in the past, most notably in 2015 when a stampede during the "stoning the devil" ritual in Mina killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest Haj disaster. Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the Haj and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.

Saudis use AI, drones and thousands of cameras to keep Haj pilgrims safe
Saudis use AI, drones and thousands of cameras to keep Haj pilgrims safe

Khaleej Times

time2 days ago

  • Khaleej Times

Saudis use AI, drones and thousands of cameras to keep Haj pilgrims safe

Working day and night in front of maps, screens and seemingly endless data, Saudi officials have harnessed artificial intelligence to help manage the million-strong sea of pilgrims during the Haj. The technology has proven pivotal to track the overwhelming amount of footage from more than 15,000 cameras in and around the holy city of Makkah. The systems are tuned to spot abnormal crowd movements or predict bottlenecks in foot traffic —a potential life-saver at a packed event with a history of deadly stampedes. Software is also used to help guide more than 20,000 buses deployed to transport pilgrims between holy sites during one of the world's biggest annual religious gatherings. It is all part of the tech arsenal that Saudi Arabia is deploying as 1.4 million faithful from across the globe descend on Makkah and its surrounds. "In our traffic control room, we use specialised cameras that have AI layers to analyse movements, crowded areas" and predict behaviours, said Mohamed Nazier, chief executive officer for the General Transport Centre at the Royal Commission for Makkah. The centre has a main control room in Makkah filled with screens and maps, where staff use high-tech tools including AI for round-the-clock monitoring. About a dozen staff members sit in rows before desktop computers with a large display at the front, zooming in on crowd movements around the holy sites. On hillsides nearby, cameras that resemble little white robots film buildings, roads and pathways along the Haj route, which winds more than 20 kilometres between Makkah and Mount Arafat. Nazier said the constant monitoring is aimed at averting traffic collisions with pedestrians on crowded routes while also making sure there are buses available to minimise walking time in the desert heat. 'Our eye on the ground' It is a decade since the hajj suffered its worst disaster, a stampede that killed up to 2,300 people during the "stoning of the devil" ritual. Hundreds also died in stampedes in 2006, 1998 and 1994. In 1990, 1,426 pilgrims were trampled to death or asphyxiated when a tunnel ventilation system failed. With its cutting-edge technology, "the control room is our eye on the ground," said Mohammed Al Qarni, who oversees the Haj and the year-round umrah pilgrimage at the transport centre. Artificial intelligence helps to determine "the flow on the (roads to the holy sites), and detects emergency situations even before they occur", he told AFP, adding that the technology can help assess the number of people in a single place. Cameras and AI can estimate if a site has reached maximum capacity, allowing authorities to divert the flow of pilgrims, Qarni said. During the holy month of Ramadan this year, the system spotted when the Grand Mosque had reached full capacity. "The flow to the Haram (Grand Mosque) was stopped and the process controlled," he said. Thermal imaging The use of advanced technology extends beyond logistics, also tracking unregistered pilgrims, who accounted for most of the 1,301 deaths in sweltering conditions last year. As temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit) last year, unauthorised worshippers who lack access to air-conditioned tents and buses bore the brunt. Temperatures are forecast to top 40C this week. The Haj , one of the five pillars of Islam, must be completed by all Muslims with the means at least once. Yet not everyone is able to secure or afford one of the official permits, which are allocated to countries by quota and awarded to individuals by lottery. To try to stop anyone sneaking in this year, a fleet of camera-equipped drones is monitoring entrances into Makkah "We use artificial intelligence and other tools like drones and thermal imaging cameras," the director general of public security, Lieutenant General Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Bassami, told reporters. Meanwhile, the Saudi Special Forces for Roads Security said it was using "smart thermal imaging" to monitor the perimeter of Makkah and the holy sites.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store