MINA: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met on Saturday with President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives at the Royal Court in Mina Palace, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The two leaders exchanged Eid Al-Adha greetings and discussed ways to strengthen relations and expand cooperation between their countries across various fields, SPA added.

The meeting reflected ongoing efforts to bolster Saudi-Maldivian ties and explore new avenues for partnership.

A number of senior Saudi officials attended the meeting, including Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region; Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports; Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, Minister of Interior; Prince Khalid bin Salman, Minister of Defense; and Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

From the Maldivian side, the delegation included several ministers including Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel.

The high-level talks come as Saudi Arabia continues to deepen engagement with nations across South Asia, in line with its broader diplomatic and economic outreach initiatives.

Also on Saturday, Prince Mohammed held talks with President of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.

They also exchanged congratulations on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, in addition to discussing overall relations and ways to enhance them in various fields, SPA reported.

RIYADH: Saudi authorities have intercepted 436 illegal Hajj groups and apprehended 462 transport violators facilitating unauthorized entry into Makkah, according to the Ministry of Interior.

Col. Talal bin Shalhoub, security spokesperson for the ministry, said at a press conference in Makkah: “Since Dul Hijjah 11, we’ve maintained continuous operations removing Hajj regulation violators from Makkah, particularly those holding visit visas in violation of their entry permits.”

Shalhoub said that authorities were continuously removing visa violators from Makkah, with transport offenders captured at city entry points during smuggling attempts of residents, citizens and illegal visa holders.

“Our pilgrims returned to Mina this morning after completing Tawaf Al-Ifadah and Jamarat stoning rituals within a fully secured environment,” he said.

Security forces continue managing crowd flows between Mina camps, Jamarat and the Grand Mosque while “enforcing movement schedules through Dul Hijjah 14,” he said.

“We urge all pilgrims to strictly follow designated schedules for Rami, Tawaf and Sa’i, use assigned routes for luggage transport, and maintain calm during movements,” Shalhoub said.

He advised those leaving early on the second Tashreeq day to remain in camps until their service coordinators’ scheduled departure time.

Ghassan Al-Nwaimi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, said that the presidency had launched a new electronic service through its website, allowing those intending to perform rituals at the Grand Mosque to know the real-time crowd density levels in the Tawaf area, enabling them to choose the appropriate time to perform Tawaf or Sa’i.

“The Nusuk card has played a pivotal role in regulating and organizing pilgrim flows, with more than 5,500,000 electronic scans used so far,” he said.

Al-Nwaimi said that the Nusuk app and interactive mapping service helped to guide more than 35,000 pilgrims. More than 400,000 pilgrim bags were tracked using their QR codes, ensuring easy transport.

“On the front-of-field inspections, monitoring centers have conducted over 65,000 digital field rounds so far and these rounds support the delivery of various services while monitoring performance on the ground.”

He said that only 10 percent of cases required intervention by the specialized monitoring teams, reflecting the effectiveness of field-service delivery.

Khalid Al-Tala, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said that there had been a 90 percent decrease in heat exhaustion cases during this year’s Hajj season compared to the previous season.

“Despite high temperatures, only a limited number of heat exhaustion cases were handled — 362 cases so far — all managed with high efficiency until they recovered,” he said.

“Comprehensive health services exceeded 125,000,” and there were 18 open-heart surgeries and 216 cardiac catheterization procedures conducted, he said.

Saleh Al-Zuwaid, spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services, detailed Hajj transportation achievements.

He said that “the fifth pilgrim movement phase launched precisely at 9 a.m. on Eid Al-Adha,” connecting Arafat, Muzdalifah and Jamarat sites. This critical operation would “continue through sunset on the 13th of Dul Hijjah.”

Al-Zuwaid reported that “the Mashaer train has transported more than 1 million passengers between holy sites with complete operational ease to date.”

Makkah’s bus network spanned 430 stations across 12 routes — including four central stations serving the Grand Mosque — with an additional 25 citywide stops, he said.

“We officially announce transport and logistics readiness for pilgrim departure,” Al-Zuwaid said, confirming six dedicated airports were prepared to handle “all Guests of the Most Merciful, whether domestic or international pilgrims.”