Probe starts as Mecca crane collapse kills 107
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Saudi Arabia has begun an investigation into why a crane collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, killing at least 107 people, reports BBC.
The huge red crane crashed into a part of the Grand Mosque as it was filled with worshippers, less than two weeks before the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Officials say strong winds and heavy rains caused the crane to fall.
Correspondents say there have previously been concerns about safety on Saudi construction sites.
The Grand Mosque, known as the Masjid al-Haram, is the largest mosque in the world and surrounds Islam's holiest place, the Kaaba.
At least 230 people were injured in the incident. It is unclear how many people were hurt by the collapse or the stampede that followed it.
Those killed are reported to include Indonesian, Indian, Iranian and Egyptian citizens.
According to bdnews24.com, the Bangladesh embassy in Saudi Arabia says it has no reports of any Bangladeshi's death in the accident.
But it confirmed that at least 40 Bangladeshi nationals were among the 154 injured when the crane fell.
Reached at around 11:30pm, Ambassador Golam Moshi told the news agency the injured Bangladeshi pilgrims were hospitalised.
"Three of them are under intensive care. One of them is in critical condition."
An hour later, the diplomat confirmed that Chand Miah Chowkider, who was said to be in critical condition, stabilised and was likely to be released after a day in the hospital.
Shamsuddin Ahmed, a Bangladeshi pilgrim who was at the site during the accident, said: "A strong sandstorm started just before Maghrib prayers. The crane crashed down suddenly. We saw so many people die and get injured."
However, the AFP reports: the head of Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency, Lt Sulayman Bin-Abdullah al-Amr, said an investigation was being carried out to assess the damage, and the "extent of the safety of these sites".
Essam al-Ghalib, a Jeddah-based journalist, said the crane fell through the outer ring of the Grand Mosque and punctured through the roof sending down tonnes of cement and debris onto people either praying or walking through.