Earlier, two air ambulances stationed in Arafat responded to emergency calls after two people were injured in a car accident in the Al-Waska area, 152 km from Makkah. The two people were reported to be in critical condition.
The air ambulances reached the area within six minutes after receiving the call. One of the injured was a woman in her 30s. Both people were taken to King Abdulaziz Hospital in Jeddah.
Another pilgrim who was in critical condition was transferred from a conventional ambulance to a helicopter via the Jamrat Bridge and then on to Al-Noor Hospital. The bridge has been fitted with special elevators for stretchers.
Capt. Abdul Hakim Al-Jawfi, director of the Saudi Red Crescent’s air ambulance operations, said air ambulance pilots carried out 30 training flights in the holy sites prior to Haj to familiarize themselves with the area.
There are 140 pilots, technicians and paramedics working with the air ambulances. The Saudi Red Crescent’s emergency number is 997.
