First class treatment for Muslim pilgrims

The ordeal of Muslim pilgrims who spent weeks living in inhospitable and insanitary conditions, mainly in the open and in the cold harmattan weather while they waited for their flights to Mecca, is over.

Spacious air conditioned tents with first class facilities to make them feel at home are being erected at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra by the government in conjunction with Creater Digital Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Zoomlion, an environment-related company.

Ghana News Agency Photographers Comfort Fetrie and William Fiabu were conducted round the facilities by Mr Gilbert Edem Bebli and Kwabena Egyare.

The facilities will include separate tents for males and females, an infirmary, toilets, TV sets, a canteen and potable water.

This year's Hajj is being organised by the National Hajj Council and the first flight is expected in one month.

The tents will take 500 pilgrims at a time (200 men and 300 women) and they will stay there for 48 hours before flying to Saudi Arabia.