A towering construction crane toppled over during a violent rainstorm in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, crashing into the Grand Mosque and killing at least 107 people ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage later this month. (Sept.11)
(Photo: Makkah And Madinah 24H Live)
At least 107 dead in crane collapse in Mecca's Grand Mosque
Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY
September 12, 2015
A huge construction crane buffeted by strong winds collapsed and crashed onto the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Friday, killing as many as 107 worshipers only days before the start of the annual Muslim pilgrimage, the Saudi Arabia Civil Defense reports.
The Civil Defense said on Twitter that as many as 238 people had been injured.
Photos sent by Twitter from the scene show numerous blood-covered bodies strewn on a marble floor under the arm of a large crane.
Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Mansouri, spokesman for the Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet Mosque, blamed the accident on a "strong sandstorm, winds and torrential rains," the official Saudi Press Agency reports.
A crane collapsed killing dozens, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015 in Mecca. The accident happened as pilgrims from around the world converged on the city, Islam's holiest site, for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place this month. (Photo: Makkah And Madinah 24H Live)
Even before the crane accident, the Civil Defense was warning of thunderstorms, heavy rain and wind in the area. The Saudi Civil Defense said search and rescue teams and medical workers from the Saudi Red Crescent were quickly sent to the scene.
The accident occurred as the kingdom prepared to welcome 3 million people to the Muslim holy city for the annual pilgrimage that begins Sept. 21.
Reports of the accident were also carried by Al Arabiya and other Middle East news sites. The Khaleej Times says there are "many casualties."
Civil defense workers examine the remains of a crane that collapsed in the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Sept. 11, 2015. (Photo: Saudi Civil Defense)
The Grand Mosque or Great Mosque of Mecca (also known as Masjid al-Haram) is the largest mosque in the world. It surrounds Islam’s holiest place, the Kaaba, in the city of Mecca. Muslims face in the direction of the Kaaba while performing their obligatory daily prayers.
Saudi Arabia's civil defense authority says dozens of people have been killed after a crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on Sept. 11, 2015. (Photo: 2014 photo by Khalid Mohammed, AP)
One of the five pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the hajj pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. The hajj is one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.
The complex covers 88.2 acres, which includes outdoor and indoor prayer spaces. It's open 24 hours a day.
Last year, the number of people permitted to perform the hajj was lowered for safety reasons because of construction work to enlarge the Grand Mosque, Reuters reports.
A crane collapsed killing dozens, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015 in Mecca. The accident happened as pilgrims from around the world converged on the city, Islam's holiest site, for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place this month. Makkah And Madinah 24H Live
Contributing: Susan Miller in McLean, Va.
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A general view from inside the Grand Mosque showing a part of a large crane that collapsed on the mosque on 11 September 2015. The civil defense authority of Saudi Arabia has confirmed at least 52 casualties with some 30 people injured in the accident. (EPA/STRINGER)
SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) —
Saudi Arabia's civil defense authority has raised the death toll from the collapse of a construction crane at Mecca's Grand Mosque, saying at least 87 people have been killed.
The authority announced the latest casualties' figure from Friday's accident on its official Twitter account.
The accident happened as pilgrims are streaming into Islam's holiest city for the annual hajj pilgrimage later this month.
Videos and photos posted by social media users showed a grisly scene, with police and onlookers attending to bloodied bodies on the polished mosque floors.
God is great.This happened on 9/11 of all days? Justice? Revenge? Anyway, thousands are killed every year during these Muslim pilgrimages. This is just a drop in the bucket.
The crane could be one of 20 Wolff 355B cranes installed around the mosque in 2011, part of an order received by Wolffkran and its local partner the Roots Group.
