The deputy director of the Hajj mission Hossam Talaat said Thursday that Egyptian pilgrims will be ferried to Mount Arafat on Friday morning.

Pilgrims held in Saudi hospitals will be moved in ambulances to Mount Arafat to perform the pinnacle of the Hajj, Talaat told MENA.

The mission will take elderly pilgrims and those with special needs and shuttle them to the Mount of Mercy on customised buses, he added.

All buses are equipped with GPS and connected to an operations room affiliated with the interior ministry, Talaat added.

Some 39,000 Egyptian pilgrims have so far arrived in the holy city of Mecca to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage, an official told state news agency MENA earlier this week.

All Egyptian pilgrims were in good condition, head of the Hajj delegation Amr Lotfy said, adding that members of a medical delegation sent by the Egyptian authorities will be available at all hotels where Egyptians are staying.

More than 70,000 Egyptians are expected to go on this year's Hajj, due to take place from 9 to 14 August, Egyptian officials have said.

All capable Muslims are required to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, once in their lifetime.

Saudi authorities said more than 2.37 million Muslims from around the world took part in last year's pilgrimage.