Overview
- Over 1.5 million pilgrims gathered Thursday at Mount Arafat for the hajj’s pivotal ritual under temperatures exceeding 40 °C.
- Officials urged all pilgrims to remain in shaded tents from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to reduce the risk of heatstroke during the peak day.
- More than 50,000 healthcare workers, 71 mobile emergency units and over 400 fresh water stations have been mobilized across Mecca and its environs.
- An AI-powered crowd-monitoring system and a new fleet of drones are actively managing pilgrim flows and identifying heat-related emergencies.
- Authorities have barred nearly 270,000 unauthorized pilgrims at checkpoints, doubling fines to 20,000 rials and imposing ten-year bans for violations.