MINA: The Civil Defense has all geared up to receive the guests of God on Friday at the Jamrat Bridge. Crowd control and emergency response forces have been deployed at all entries and exits and on all the five stories of the bridge to deal with any accidents or emergency cases.

Commander of the Civil Defense at the Jamrat area Brig. Zuhair Sibiyah said the operating of the Jamrat facility with all its five stories would remarkably reduce dangers resulting from overcrowding.

The Jamrat Bridge can accommodate more than 300,000 pilgrims an hour to perform the ritual of stoning the Pillars of Satan, which recreates part of Prophet Abraham’s (pbuh) desert journey.

The bridge has health and evacuation centers to receive pilgrims who may suffer health emergencies. The Jamrat Bridge also has a helicopter platform. The bridge has been designed in such a way that would prevent the assembling of pilgrims at one place. Each story 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 be using the ground floor. Hajis coming from Jabal Kabish arrive on the third level while pilgrims coming from Makkah 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, go back to Mina or proceed to Makkah,” Sibiyah said.

He expected a large crowd of pilgrims coming from Muzdalifah on the ground and first levels of the Jamrat Bridge and said the Civil Protection Department of the Civil Defense would be measuring the levels of harmful gases and the air pollution in the Jamrat area.

The commander said more than 1,300 Civil Defense officers and soldiers will be working at the Jamrat area. A number of CCTV camera have been installed in various parts of the facility to indicate incidents requiring quick intervention, he added.

Sibiyah said the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has provided 60 golf carts to enable sick and old pilgrims reach the Jamrat area.