Brig. Samir Al-Asadi, Director General of Road Security, said Thursday that his administration in cooperation with the responsible authorities has adopted a plan to set up flood shelters for pilgrims along highways parallel to valleys. The shelters will be used to accommodate pilgrims in case the security authorities receive reports from the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) about the possibility of a heavy downpour of rain and flash floods. The Ministry of Haj has also tasked a team to follow up weather forecast reports so as to alert pilgrim bus drivers about the possibility of heavy rainfall and floods. Al-Asadi said that field teams comprising representatives from the Ministry of Haj and Cars General Syndicate in Madina have been assigned to examine the tires of buses transporting pilgrims. The teams have succeeded in discovering worn-out tires on eight buses allotted for the transportation of pilgrims. Transportation companies have been asked to replace the worn-out tires. He also said that several accidents involving pilgrims' buses have been reported, most of which were caused by faulty or worn-out tires. Dr. Fuad Bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy, Minister of Haj, has instructed the authorities concerned to investigate the causes of the traffic accidents, especially the accident which resulted in the injury of 24 pilgrims who were on their way to Madina from Jeddah. Al-Asadi said the teams tasked with examining bus tires check the manufacturing date of the tires, and if they find that the tires are old or worn-out, they report the matter to the authorities concerned. __
