Saudi Arabia to introduce electronic ID bracelets in Haj safety push

It comes after several hundred people died in a crush last September when thousands of pilgrims converged on a walkway intersection near Mecca.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims make their way to cast stones at a pillar near Mecca on September 24, 2015, as part of a ritual called "Jamarat". Jamarat, which symbolises the stoning of the devil, Show more

Riyadh will introduce electronic identification bracelets for all pilgrims to Mecca starting this year, Saudi media said on Thursday.

The move is part of a safety drive a year after the Haj suffered what is believed to be its deadliest disaster in a generation.

Several hundred died in a crush when thousands of pilgrims converged on a walkway intersection near Mecca last September. Saudi Arabia put the official death toll at 700.

Containing personal and medical information, the bracelets will help authorities provide care and identify people, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

Water-resistant and connected to GPS, the devices will also instruct worshippers on timings of prayers and a multilingual help desk to guide pilgrims – especially those who are non-Arabic speaking – around the various rituals.

The Haj has witnessed numerous deadly stampedes, fires and riots in the past with authorities having only limited ability to control the masses.

Earlier this month, nearly a thousand new surveillance cameras were installed at Mecca’s Grand Mosque ahead of this year’s Haj, which is expected to take place in August. They are linked to control rooms staffed by special forces monitoring pilgrim movements, Saudi newspapers reported.

Safety during the pilgrimage is also central to a dispute with Iran, which says that 400 of its citizens were killed in last year’s stampede.

The two countries have failed to strike a deal for Iranian pilgrims to attend this year’s Haj amid a lack of diplomatic relations.

* Reuters