The Minister of Pilgrimage Dr. Mahmoud Safar last night welcomed heads of delegations of pilgrims to the annual reception in their honor, which was held in the Intercontinental Hotel in Makkah. Speaking on the occasion, heads of Hajj delegations from Egypt, Tunisia, UAE, Mali, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bosnia, expressed their thanks to the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz for its great efforts to ensure the success of this year's Hajj.

For his part, Minister Safar, after welcoming the heads of the Hajj missions and thanking all who supported the Ministry's efforts, expressed his deep condolences to the families of those who died as a result of the stampede at Mina. He prayed God to accept them as martyrs, saying that this was fate from the Almighty and the result of non-adherence by certain pilgrims of Hajj instructions and lack of awareness about guidelines, with inconsiderate pushing without care for the weak and the elderly.

Minister Safar went on to say that the project of fire-resistant tents was implemented this year with 25 percent of the Mina area using them, and declared that overall the Hajj was distinguished by the safety and comfort of the pilgrims.

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