Rains Complicate Start Of Hajj

"Rare, heavy rainstorms soaked pilgrims and flooded the road into Mecca" today as the hajj got underway, the Associated Press writes.

That's lead to scenes such as this, as three pilgrims tried to stay dry today while water poured down the street they were on:

Yesterday, before the deluge, crowds were able to circle the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca:

This being the Internet age, there is some blogging and tweeting being done from Mecca. Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow is tweeting here. In the space of an hour today, he reported that traffic congestion was "crippling," but that it "cleared up fast." The network's Omar Chatriwala is blogging here.

As the AP reminds us:

 

The hajj — a lifetime dream for Muslims to cleanse their sins — is always a logistical nightmare, as a population the size of a small city moves between Mecca and holy sites in the nearby desert over the course of four days.

In the past, the rites have been plagued by deadly stampedes caused by congestion as the massive crowds perform the rituals — and Saudi authorities Wednesday were clearly concerned the rains could worsen the potential dangers. Civil authorities urged pilgrims to move cautiously and not to rush.

This year has brought the added worry that the massing of more than 3 million people from around the world could bring a swine flu outbreak. For months ahead of the pilgrimage, the Saudi government has been working with the United States' Center for Disease Control and Prevention to set up clinics and precautionary measures to stem any outbreak.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj has much more information here.