Heat is on:120 pilgrims faint at Grand Mosque

JEDDAH: Civil Defense personnel were kept on their toes during the Friday prayer time, with as many as 120 Umrah pilgrims fainting due to exhaustion and the summer heat. Among those who took ill were mostly elderly people and the fatigue resulted from tawaf (circumambulating of the Kaaba) and sa’ie (ritual between Safa and Marwah mountains), a media report said on Saturday. Some cases of Umrah visitors and pilgrims slipping from the escalators and getting injured were also reported. “Most of the patients were discharged after administering first aid inside and outside the Grand Mosque, while some were taken to nearby hospitals and health centers,” Col. Mahdi Al-Fahmi, commander of the Civil Defense forces at the Grand Mosque, was quoted as saying. The treatment of pilgrims was carried out in coordination with the teams of Saudi Red Crescent and Health Department, he added. Arab News