KIEV, Sept. 9 – Rescuers from the Ukrainian State Emergency Service in Uman, Cherkasy region, have been on high alert since September 9 as the town prepares to welcome thousands of Hasids for the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

"From September 9 to 19, Ukrainian State Emergency Service rescuers will be on high alert twenty-four-seven. A special squad has been set up to be in town all the time and a reserve of rescuers formed for a prompt response to all kinds of emergencies. For the duration of the pilgrims' stay in the Cherkasy Region, our forces will be providing their safety in a clear-cut and coordinated fashion," Ukraine's chief emergency official Mykola Chechotkin was quoted by his agency's spokesperson as saying on Wednesday.