UAE Haj mission members evacuated due to thunderstorm
They have been moved to Makkah as part of emergency plan
Mina: Members of the 156-member UAE official Haj mission were evacuated on Wednesday, from Mina Camp to the mission’s headquarters in Makkah, due to thunderstorms.
The evacuation was carried out in cooperation with Saudi authorities as part of the mission’s emergency plans.
Members of the official Haj mission from the UAE, which is headed by Mohammad Obaid Al Mazroui, had scaled Mount Arafat on Monday with millions of other Muslims to complete the most important rite of the pilgrimage.
This year, the mission includes representatives from the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowment (Awqaf), the Ministry of Health, the Abu Dhabi and Dubai health authorities, the Ministry of Interior, the National Media Council, newspapers and various other organisations.
Earlier this month, the mission had also said a team would look into complaints made by pilgrims regarding the sizes of rooms and the delay in meal timings. Members of the Follow-up Committee at the mission therefore conducted surprise inspections to verify Haj operators’ commitment to the rules set by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Awqaf (GAIAA).
Teams also visited pilgrims in Madina at the beginning of the month to ensure that they were getting quality services during the pilgrimage.
Rising cost
The spiralling cost of Haj for UAE pilgrims this year was due to rising costs, according to a top official from the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowment (Awqaf).
Dr Mohammad Matar Al Ka’abi, director-general of Awqaf, said the Awqaf had discussed the matter with Haj operators, and their justifications for the increase in costs had been “very convincing”.
