MAKKAH: Hundreds of thousands of Muslims began a mass movement on Thursday out of the holy city of Makkah towards nearby Mina in western Saudi Arabia, at the beginning of the Haj pilgrimage.

This year’s Haj comes with Saudi authorities striving to protect pilgrims from two deadly viruses, Ebola and the MERS coronavirus.

Authorities say close to 1.4 million pilgrims have come from abroad to perform Haj alongside pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.

Pilgrims were moving from Makkah to Mina by bus or on foot on Thursday. The passage to Mina marks the official start of Haj.

Security has not been noticeably enhanced around the holy sites, but a reporter observed three checkpoints between Jeddah and Makkah, where security officers verified that visitors had Haj permits.

Officials say they have intensified efforts to stop people attending Haj without authorisation, as part of safety measures for such a large gathering with massive logistical challenges.

The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said more than 145,000 unauthorised pilgrims had been turned away.

Eighteen aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters would patrol and be on standby for emergencies including “terrorist attacks”, Arab News reported.

“The aircraft are equipped with thermal cameras and shooting platforms,” the newspaper quoted General Mohammed Eid al-Harbi as saying.

Saudi news channel Al-Ekhbariya broadcast footage of commandos rappelling from helicopters and performing other exercises to demonstrate their readiness.

Supplementing the 85,000 security and civil defence officers who are reportedly deployed for Haj are thousands of health workers.

While Ebola has hit Africa, most MERS cases worldwide have been in Saudi Arabia itself. Pilgrims from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three nations hardest-hit by Ebola, have not been allowed in for Haj. No Ebola cases have yet been found in the kingdom.

The health ministry on Wednesday announced the country’s latest MERS victim, a 43-year-old Saudi man who died in Taif, east of Makkah.

But “no infectious cases have been recorded among the pilgrims, including coronavirus (MERS)”, said Acting Health Minister Adel Fakieh in a statement carried by SPA.

He added that “the health situation of the pilgrims is reassuring”.—AFP

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2014