MAKKAH - The crane collapse incident at Al-Haram Mosque on Sept 11, 2015, which claimed the lives of seven Malaysian pilgrims and injured two others, is still clearly etched in the memory of the Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) Patrol Team head, Insp Mohamed Amer Jawahil.
For Johorean Mohamed Amer, the incident which occurred when the pilgrims were preparing for the Asar prayers at the Grand Mosque tested his ability to think and act quickly as the leader of the pilgrims’ rescue team.
"I still remember that I was on duty on the second floor of the Grand Mosque at that time. When I was about to enter to perform the Asr prayers, I could see a dark cloud in the direction of the hill before being followed by a sandstorm.
"It was then followed by heavy rain and strong wind, which prompted me to quickly try to enter the Grand Mosque.
"When I was about to enter the mosque, I suddenly heard a loud bang and the pilgrims from other countries seemed to panic and rush out with some of them were injured,” recalled Mohamed Amer when met at the TH headquarters here, yesterday
He said in that incident, the information delivery system with other units such as the Medical Division and the Customer Service Division at the TH headquarters was severely tested in terms of reporting the latest developments at the scene.
It was then used as a basis for further streamlining TH's standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to the security aspects of pilgrims while in the Holy Land, in addition to the TH's Patrol Team being equipped with rescue skills.
The tragedy claimed the lives of over 100 pilgrims and injured more than 230 others.
Meanwhile, despite having to deal with the hot weather that now reaches over 50 degrees Celsius, the TH Patrol Team is determined to patrol 24 hours continuously at eight focal locations including at the Marwa, Babussalam and King Fahd gates.
A total of 18 members of the team patrol are on shift duty to assist pilgrims who are lost, to find their way in the Grand Mosque or their way back to the accommodation college, in addition to facilitating those with health problems.
Mohamed Amer, who has served TH for 35 years, said among the challenges faced by the patrol team unit was having to walk more than seven kilometres a day while on duty, in addition to having to stand for long periods.
However, before the deployment to the Holy Land, members of the team had already been prepared mentally and physically as their tasks are very heavy and require a lot of sacrifices, he said. - BERNAMA