Saudi- Grand Mosque Tragedy Claims 87
(MENAFN- Arab Times) At least 87 people were killed when a crane crashed in Makkah's Grand Mosque on Friday, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence authority said, in an accident that came just weeks before Islam's annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The civil defence said on its Twitter account 184 people were also injured in the accident. Al Arabiya television earlier said the crane had fallen because of strong storms - western Saudi Arabia has been hit by strong sand storms in the last few days. Pictures circulating on social media showed pilgrims in bloodied robes and masses of debris from a part of the crane that seemed to have crashed through a ceiling.
The civil defence authority, which gave the casualty figures, said on Twitter that emergency teams were sent to the scene after a "crane fell at the Grand Mosque". That came about an hour after it tweeted that Makkah was "witnessing medium to heavy rains".
The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands of Muslims gather from all over the world for the annual Hajj pilgrimage set to begin later this month. The Grand Mosque is usually at its most crowded on Fridays, the Muslim weekly day of prayer. It houses the Ka'aba - the massive cube-shaped structure towards which Muslims worldwide pray.
The governor of Makkah region, Prince Khaled al- Faisal, has ordered an investigation into the incident. A massive project is currently underway to increase the area of the mosque by 400,000 square metres (4.3 million square feet), allowing it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at once. The mosque is surrounded by a number of cranes.
The Hajj has largely been incident-free during the past few years, with Saudi Arabia investing billions of dollars in transport and other infrastructure to facilitate the movement of the huge numbers of people who take part.
The official SPA news agency said in a statement that by Friday, almost 800,000 pilgrims had arrived into the Kingdom for Hajj. Meanwhile, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of condolences to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz after scores of people were killed and injured when a giant crane collapsed in Makkah's Holy Mosque on Friday.
His Highness the Amir expressed deepest condolences for the death of the worshippers and wished speedy recovery for the injured. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a message of condolences to King Salman over the casualties caused by the crane collapse. His Highness the Crown Prince wished speedy recovery for the injured. His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent a similar message.
National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim also expressed sorrow at the high number of deaths caused by a giant crane collapse in the Holy Mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah on Friday. In a cable to Speaker of the Saudi Shura Council Abdullah bin Mohammad Al Al-Sheikh, Al-Ghanim expressed heartfelt sorrow over the tragic accident. Al-Ghanim praised Allah the Almighty to bestow blessing upon the deceased and wished speedy recovery for the injured.
Deputy Chairman of Kuwait Hajj Mission affiliated to Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Roumi Al-Roumi has assured that all Kuwaiti pilgrims in Makkah are safe and that none of them were hurt when a huge construction crane crashed into the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Team Leader of Kuwait Hajj Mission Mohammad Al-Mutairi declared that the team at the mission's headquarters in Al- Nassem area has resumed its activities. He urged all pilgrims and owners of Hajj caravans to strictly comply with the instructions issued by the officials of Saudi Arabian Hajj Ministry, maintain discipline and observe smooth movement while performing the Hajj rituals.
Al-Mutairi stressed the keenness of the team to perform its duties perfectly based on a plan that was formed prior to the Hajj season to organize all the activities from the start of the season to the return of the pilgrims to Kuwait. He revealed that the team has been communicating with the owners of all Hajj caravans to receive grievances, solve all problems and remove all obstacles they may face throughout the pilgrimage.
The civil defence said on its Twitter account 184 people were also injured in the accident. Al Arabiya television earlier said the crane had fallen because of strong storms - western Saudi Arabia has been hit by strong sand storms in the last few days. Pictures circulating on social media showed pilgrims in bloodied robes and masses of debris from a part of the crane that seemed to have crashed through a ceiling.
The civil defence authority, which gave the casualty figures, said on Twitter that emergency teams were sent to the scene after a "crane fell at the Grand Mosque". That came about an hour after it tweeted that Makkah was "witnessing medium to heavy rains".
The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands of Muslims gather from all over the world for the annual Hajj pilgrimage set to begin later this month. The Grand Mosque is usually at its most crowded on Fridays, the Muslim weekly day of prayer. It houses the Ka'aba - the massive cube-shaped structure towards which Muslims worldwide pray.
The governor of Makkah region, Prince Khaled al- Faisal, has ordered an investigation into the incident. A massive project is currently underway to increase the area of the mosque by 400,000 square metres (4.3 million square feet), allowing it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at once. The mosque is surrounded by a number of cranes.
The Hajj has largely been incident-free during the past few years, with Saudi Arabia investing billions of dollars in transport and other infrastructure to facilitate the movement of the huge numbers of people who take part.
The official SPA news agency said in a statement that by Friday, almost 800,000 pilgrims had arrived into the Kingdom for Hajj. Meanwhile, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of condolences to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz after scores of people were killed and injured when a giant crane collapsed in Makkah's Holy Mosque on Friday.
His Highness the Amir expressed deepest condolences for the death of the worshippers and wished speedy recovery for the injured. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a message of condolences to King Salman over the casualties caused by the crane collapse. His Highness the Crown Prince wished speedy recovery for the injured. His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent a similar message.
National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim also expressed sorrow at the high number of deaths caused by a giant crane collapse in the Holy Mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah on Friday. In a cable to Speaker of the Saudi Shura Council Abdullah bin Mohammad Al Al-Sheikh, Al-Ghanim expressed heartfelt sorrow over the tragic accident. Al-Ghanim praised Allah the Almighty to bestow blessing upon the deceased and wished speedy recovery for the injured.
Deputy Chairman of Kuwait Hajj Mission affiliated to Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Roumi Al-Roumi has assured that all Kuwaiti pilgrims in Makkah are safe and that none of them were hurt when a huge construction crane crashed into the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Team Leader of Kuwait Hajj Mission Mohammad Al-Mutairi declared that the team at the mission's headquarters in Al- Nassem area has resumed its activities. He urged all pilgrims and owners of Hajj caravans to strictly comply with the instructions issued by the officials of Saudi Arabian Hajj Ministry, maintain discipline and observe smooth movement while performing the Hajj rituals.
Al-Mutairi stressed the keenness of the team to perform its duties perfectly based on a plan that was formed prior to the Hajj season to organize all the activities from the start of the season to the return of the pilgrims to Kuwait. He revealed that the team has been communicating with the owners of all Hajj caravans to receive grievances, solve all problems and remove all obstacles they may face throughout the pilgrimage.
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