More than 1,000 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia were safely evacuated from a hotel in Mecca after a fire broke out on Thursday ahead of the hajj, emergency officials said.
Authorities said the blaze started on the eighth floor of an 11-story hotel in Mecca's Aziziya neighborhood.
Photo:Syed Arshad, Saudi Arabia
Saudi civil defense officials said two pilgrims were being treated for injuries from the fire.
The hajj is expected to start on Monday. More than 1 million pilgrims have already arrived for the annual pilgrimage, which all able-bodied Muslims are required to perform once in their lives.
Also read: 87 die in Grand Mosque crane collapse
The fire comes after a crane collapse in Mecca last Friday killed at least 111 people and injured more than 390.