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| Crane collapsed in the Grand Mosque in Mecca (Image: BBC) |
At least 107
people were killed when a construction crane crashed in Grand Mosque of Mecca,
according to Saudi Health Ministry and Civil Defense Authority.
More than 230 were reported to be injured, some of them are in extremely serious condition,
so the death toll could possibly rise.
The incident
happened when one of the huge construction cranes collapsed inside the Mosque
building, falling down and destroying the roof. The crane collapsed due to the
strong winds and sand storms raging in the Western parts of Saudi Arabia in the
last few days.
The Saudi Civil
Defense declared that 15 rescue and search teams were at the scene at the
moment of tragedy.
The images and
videos circulated in social media showed dozens of pilgrims and worshippers in
bloodied clothes, in total shock, among the debris of the crane and the pieces
of the collapsed Mosque's ceiling.
Emir of Mecca,
Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, commissioned a special committee to investigate the
tragic incident and its causes.
The tragedy
happened just weeks before Islamic month of pilgrimage Hajj, when millions of
Muslims from all over the world arrive in Mecca every year.
Saudi authorities took additional measures in
order to prepare for the massive pilgrimage, including exceptional security
measures. In 2014 Saudi officials reduced the numbers of pilgrims allowed to
visit Mecca for Hajj due to security reasons and in order to perform
construction works to enlarge the Grand Mosque of Mecca.
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