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Crane Crashes into Saudi Mosque, Killing Dozens Scores Killed in Mecca as Crane Crashes into Grand Mosque
(about 1 hour later)
A large construction crane crashed into the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca on Friday as it was packed with worshipers during a heavy rainstorm, and the authorities there said at least 87 people had been killed. IZMIR, Turkey — A large construction crane toppled over and crashed into the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on Friday, killing at least 87 people and raising fears about the safety of the site before the yearly hajj pilgrimage that is expected to bring in millions of visitors to Saudi Arabia this month.
The accident happened as the Saudi authorities were in the midst of extensive preparations for the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the holiest sites in Islam, which begins in the next few weeks. Saudi Arabia’s civil defense authority reported the accident and the rising death toll on in its Twitter feed, saying that more than 180 people were injured.
Photographs posted on social media showed the aftermath of the disaster, with bloodied and stunned pilgrims on the floor of the mosque where twisted pieces of the large red crane had come crashing through the building. Others posted videos said to show the crane falling amid heavy winds and rain as well as chaos inside the mosque facility as the machinery crashed through the building. Images circulated on social media of worshipers covered in blood resting on the mosque’s white marble floor and laborers removing green carpets and cleaning puddles of blood.
News accounts from Mecca quoted the Directorate of the Saudi Civil Defense as saying that at least 183 people were reported injured in the collapse and that the area had been entirely sealed off. The Grand Mosque is the world’s largest and houses the Kaaba, the black cube that Muslims around the world pray toward and which they walk around during the pilgrimage.
The cause was not immediately clear, but the Al Jazeera television network said the crane had fallen in the midst of a severe rainstorm, suggesting weather may have played a role. The Saudi government is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar project to enlarge the mosque, and the site is currently ringed with cranes. Many other construction projects are also underway in Mecca, including for the world’s largest hotel, with 10,000 rooms, 70 restaurants and a helipad.
An Al Jazeera correspondent there, Hasan Patel, said witnesses had told him the crane smashed into the third floor of the Grand Mosque about 5:45 p.m. He said the mosque was packed with people in advance of the 6:30 p.m. prayer. .
The holy city has been in the midst of numerous construction projects to accommodate an ever-increasing flow of visitors, particularly during the hajj season. The Grand Mosque has been ringed by cranes for the past few years as part of an ambitious enlargement. Saudi news media reported that the governor of Mecca Province, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, had called for an investigation into the cause of the crane collapse.
The Saudi authorities are sensitive to crowd control calamities during the hajj season, when the country is visited by up to 3 million pilgrims. The Al Jazeera television network said the crane had fallen in the midst of a severe rainstorm, suggesting weather may have played a role.
A 2006 stampede on a bridge that is part of the pilgrimage route left nearly 300 people dead, and a 2004 stampede there killed more than 200. The worst stampede, in 1990, left 1,400 people dead. An Al Jazeera correspondent in Mecca, Hasan Patel, said witnesses had told him the crane smashed into the third floor of the Grand Mosque about 5:45 p.m. He said the mosque was packed with people in advance of the 6:30 p.m. prayer.
Up to three million pilgrims visit Mecca during the hajj.
The Saudi authorities go to great lengths to keep pilgrims safe as they visit, but disasters have occurred.
In 2006, a stampede on a bridge that is part of the pilgrimage route left more than 300 people dead, and in 2004 a stampede there killed more than 200. The worst stampede, in 1990, claimed 1,400 lives.