1.38 million people from 118 countries in Saudi Arabia for hajj

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- About 1.38 million people from 118 countries arrived in Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, the Interior Ministry said.

The hajj began Sunday and runs through Friday.

There are about 377,439 fewer participants than last year, the Saudi Press Agency reported Monday.

The pilgrims' arrival has been trouble-free, Interior Minister and Supreme Hajj Committee Chairman Prince Muhammad Bin Naif said in a communication to King Abdullah.

The hajj is the largest gathering of Muslim people in the world every year.