Iran to provide Hajj pilgrims with electronic bracelets for safety

Tehran May 14 (IANS) Iranian pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for this year s Hajj ceremonies will be kitted up with electronic bracelets to avert possible problems Tasnim news agency quoted an official as saying on Saturday.

Iran Electronics Industries has designed and manufactured the bracelets and will also process data from the devices Head of Iran s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Hamid Mohammadi told Tasnim.

It will be undoubtedly a great help to the (Hajj) pilgrims and will contribute to better services to the travellers he added.

It was announced here in March that Iran was in talks with Saudi officials to resolve the issues which had hampered the dispatch of pilgrims to the annual Muslim ceremonies in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca.

Most of the disputed issues had been resolved in the negotiations with Saudi Arabia and hopefully the remaining problems would be settled Iran s representative in Hajj and pilgrimage affairs Ali Qazi-Askar said.

Iran plans to send at least 80 000 nationals to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage in summer this year.

Iran decided to withdraw from sending the pilgrims to the last year Hajj season in which it cited the reason for fearing the safety of its pilgrims after the deadly stampede in Hajj of 2015.

More than 450 Iranians were among 2300 pilgrims who died in stampede in Mina area.

--IANS
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