Burmese Muslims Escape Fire During Hajj Pilgrimage

22 October 2012

The Saudi Civil Defense assisted 179 Burmese and Indian nationals to flee after a fire broke out in a residential building in the Muslim holy city of Mecca on Sunday, according to a report by the Kuwait News Agency. Thirteen of the evacuees were slightly injured in the incident, the report added. The foreign nationals were among the more than two million Muslim devotees expected to pack into the city for this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage, which officially begins on Wednesday. The gathering, which concludes on Friday, is the largest annual event in the world.