Eighteen S92 and Blackhawk helicopters will monitor the movement of pilgrims during this year’s hajj (pilgrimage).

The helicopters are stationed in the Saudi cities of Makkah and Madina in a bid to ensure security and safety.Their presence is geared towards preventing any stampedes or traffic congestion during hajj.

The aircraft are also able to combat fires and airlift any injured pilgrims to medical facilities.

“The Air Force security has been supported, this year, with an additional number of pilots and aircraft. Now, all aircraft are ready to practice their functions and so far the strategy is being applied as planned,” Ayesh Sufyani, an aviation security Commander said.

Four hundred participants from the aviation security taskforce are now on standby in case of an emergency.

Meanwhile, Saudi authorities have also installed advanced cameras in the Grand Mosque to monitor activity during this year’s hajj pilgrimage, said Major General Abdullah Al-Zahrani, the Chief of the Hajj Command and Control Center.

The mosque now has more than 42,000 cameras, with the newly installed ones capable of monitoring activity 60 kilometers away, Zahrani said.

“We are using powerful digital cameras for the first time this year. These cameras can monitor events taking place 60 km away. They can also operate under difficult weather conditions,” he said.

He added that the number of cameras is likely to increase as the mosque expands. Saudi Arabia is conducting major development works at the Grand Mosque this year to increase its capability to accommodate the increasing number of Muslim pilgrims.

“What's also new this year is that all security positions at the holy sites have been linked to the Command and Control center. The center has also been linked to the National Information Center at the Interior Ministry. This is the first time we do this. We are also using other developed technologies to aid workers in carrying out their tasks towards serving pilgrims,” Zahrani added.

Source: Al Arabiya