SRINAGAR: The first batch of over 600 Haj pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir left for Saudi Arabia on Thursday, officials said.

They said 642 pilgrims on board two flights were headed for the 40-day pilgrimage to the Islamic pilgrimage sites in Mecca and Medina.

More than 7,000 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir are scheduled to perform the pilgrimage this year, the officials said.

Emotional scenes were witnessed at the Hajj House in Srinagar as relatives bid adieu to the pilgrims.

Hajj is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam and the annual pilgrimage is undertaken by Muslims the world over. (PTI)