Mecca crane collapse disaster

Saudi emergency teams gather inside the Grand Mosque of Saudi Arabia’s holy Muslim city of Mecca after a construction crane crashed into it. pilgrims were killed and 201 others were injured when a crane fell on the grand mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence authority said Friday. Al Arabiya Television earlier said the crane had fallen because of strong storms. Saudi Arabia has been hit by strong sand storms in the last few days. (Xinhua/Str.)

A powerful storm toppled a construction crane Friday afternoon at the Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque, in Mecca killing at least 107 people and injuring 238 others, Saudi Arabia’s civil defense authorities said on Twitter.

Photos and video on social media showed the crane crashing through the mosque roof and the aftermath, with bodies, blood and debris spread across the courtyard.

The crane fell 10 days before the start of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage expected to bring 2 million people to Mecca.

Many on the scene attributed it to the bad weather. One of the people shooting the scene said,”It was a sandstorm which turned to rainstorm and lot of the construction covering boards were flying around, and lots of cracking noises which unfortunately ended with this tragedy. … Everybody were pushing trying to escape from inside towards the exits.”

More than 50 rescue teams and 80 ambulances converged on the mosque as part of the rescue effort after the crane fell.

Construction cranes surround the Grand Mosque, which is being enlarged to make the pilgrimage more manageable. The victims were said to include those from Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, Egypt and Pakistan.

Up to two million people are expected to arrive in Mecca for the Hajj from all over the world later this month, and Saudi officials say the crane disaster will not prevent the Hajj going ahead.