Wednesday, February 10, 2010

November 27, 2009 19:42 PM

Saudi Civil Defence Geared For Jamrat Stoning

MECCA, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- With crowd control and emergency response forces deployed at entry and exit points, and at the Jamrat Bridge, the civil defence was geared up to receive the guests of God, Saudi Arabian English daily, Arab News reported Friday.

Jamrat civil defence commander Brig Zuhair Sibiyah was quoted as saying that the operations of the Jamrat (bridge) facility, with its five stories, would remarkably reduce dangers, resulting from overcrowding.

The Jamrat Bridge can accommodate more than 300,000 pilgrims hourly, to perform the ritual of stoning the Pillars of Satan, which recreates part of Prophet Abraham's desert journey.

The bridge has health and evacuation centres to receive pilgrims who may suffer health emergencies, and also has a helicopter platform. It is specially designed to prevent the assembling of pilgrims at one place.

Each level of the bridge will serve a certain section of Mina. Pilgrims coming from King Fahd Street will go to the first level, while those coming from Al-Jawhara Street will use the ground floor.

Pilgrims coming from Jabal Kabish arrive on the third level while pilgrims coming from Mecca enter the second level.

“All pilgrims will find easy and safe access to one of the stories of the bridge where they will throw their pebbles, return to Mina or proceed to Makkah,” said Zuhair.

He expects a large crowd of pilgrims coming from Muzdalifah on the bridge's ground and first levels, and disclosed that the civil defence would monitor whatever harmful gases and air pollution in the Jamrat area.

The commander said more than 1,300 civil defence officers and soldiers would be deployed at the Jamrat area where a number of closed-circuit television cameras had been installed.

-- BERNAMA

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