ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will introduce electronic identification bracelets for all Hajj pilgrims to Makkah starting this year, as part of a safety drive a year after the annual Islamic rite suffered its deadliest disaster in a generation.
Containing personal and medical information, the bracelets would help authorities provide care and identify people, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
Water-resistant and connected to GPS, the devices would also instruct worshipers on timings of prayers and a multi-lingual help desk to guide especially non-Arabic speaking pilgrims around the various rituals of the annual Islamic event.
Saudi Arabia oversees the annual pilgrimage to Makkah by more than two million Muslims from around the world.
Nearly 1,000 new surveillance cameras were installed this month at the Grand Mosque and linked to control rooms staffed by special forces monitoring pilgrim movements for the Ramazan rush and the Haj event scheduled for September.
