Civil Defense spokesman for Haj, Maj. Abdullah Al-Harithi, said in press statement in Mina that an electrical short circuit at a railway station caused a brief suspension of the service.
“The train service was resumed after the problem was fixed in a few minutes and the incident, which did not cause any injuries, took place at a station and not in the train,” he said, adding that the service is now functioning smoothly. He said the railway stations are equipped with modern technology to extinguish fires and issue early warnings.
Meanwhile, Director of Domestic Pilgrims at the Haj Ministry, Ibrahim Al-Jabri, said the suspension of the train service did not delay the departure of domestic pilgrims on Thursday. Some returning pilgrims told Arab News that the train service was suspended following rains because of safety concerns.
The Civil Defense deployed its manpower in Makkah and the holy sites to face any eventuality following the downpour when it received a Met warning of heavy rains on Thursday afternoon.
“No drowning or injury has been caused by rains in the holy sites or Makkah. However, arrangements have been made to evacuate tents in Mina if floods threaten the tent city,” said Al-Harithi.
A number of rescue teams with heavy equipment including 17 teams with dinghies were put on alert.
Safe roads were marked out so that pilgrims could avoid tunnels that could be inundated in the event of floods.
Air ambulances were also kept ready.
