Over three million Umrah visas issued

VITAL STATISTICS: More than three million visas were issued between February and September for the Umrah pilgrimage to Makkah. (Getty Images)

Over three million visas have been issued by Saudi embassies worldwide for the Umrah pilgrimage to Makkah since February, according to statistics issued by Saudi’s Central Haj Committee.

The figures for the pilgrimage, which can be undertaken at any time of the year, show 3,240,675 visas were issued between Feb. 8 and Sept. 5, with 2,622,408 foreign pilgrims arriving in the kingdom during that period, of which 2,243,090 have left, Saudi daily Arab News reported on Monday.

The figures show almost 10,000 flights arriving at Jeddah’s King Abdul Aziz Airport carried pilgrims, while 145 ships docking at Jeddah Islamic Port also carried pilgrims.

The committee said 543,716 cars entered Makkah during the period, with 3,984 accidents recorded.

The figures show almost 400,000 pilgrims suffering from serious illnesses were admitted to hospitals across the city during the period, with 38,042 still to be discharged.

Police arrested close to 1,500 beggars and 1,000 street vendors, while immigration officials arrested a further 6,463 people for visa violations.

Also during the period, 225.9 million loaves of bread and 364,726 portions of meat were distributed by charities in the city. Almost 200,000 litres of Zamzam water and 45.7 million cubic metres of normal water were drunk.

The figures also show over 300,000 tonnes of rubbish was disposed of by municipal authorities.

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