Saudi Arabia's King Salman says the results of an an investigation into why a crane collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, killing at least 107 people, will be made public.
A collapsed crane and emergency services vehicles are seen near the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. The accident happened as pilgrims from around the world converged for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place this month, killing dozens. (AP Photo)
Mecca: Saudi Arabia's King Salman vowed on Saturday to find out the cause of a crane collapse that killed 107 people at Mecca's Grand Mosque ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Officials say strong winds and heavy rains caused the crane to fall.
The Hajj, a pillar of the Muslim religion which last year drew about two million faithful, will take place despite Friday's tragedy, Saudi authorities said, as crowds returned to pray a day after the incident. Correspondents say there had previously been concerns about safety on Saudi construction sites.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims had already arrived in Mecca when the massive red and white crane toppled over during a Friday thunderstorm.
"We will investigate all the reasons [of the collapse] and afterwards declare the results to the citizens," the official Saudi news agency quoted him as saying.
Salman expressed his condolences to the families of the dead, and then visited a local hospital "to check on the health of the injured", the official Saudi Press Agency said.
"Suddenly, I heard thunder and then we heard a very loud noise. That was the sound of the crane falling," Mohammed, a Moroccan pilgrim, told AFP.
Another visitor caught up in the tragedy, Ahmed from Egypt, said he and those around him were "very scared, hysterical even".
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 on Friday. It is unclear how many people were hurt by the collapse or the stampede that followed it.
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".
Saudi officials say the crane disaster will not prevent the Hajj going ahead.
Irfan Al-Alawi, from the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation,
said, that the Grand Mosque is currently surrounded by 15 large cranes amid major redevelopment work. "The entire area is like a salvage yard," Mr al-Alawi said.
"Saudi Arabia has to re-think its health and safety strategy," he said, "as there were 800,000 people in the mosque area at the time of the accident."
Condolences came in from around the Arab world, as well as from Britain, Canada, India and Nigeria. It was not the first tragedy to strike Mecca pilgrims, although the hajj has remained practically incident-free in recent years. In 2006, several hundred people died in a stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual in nearby Mina, following a similar incident two years earlier.
Saudi authorities began a major expansion of the site last year to increase the area of the mosque by 400,000 sq m (4.3m sq ft), to allow it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at once.
Performing the pilgrimage during one's lifetime is a duty for all able-bodied adult Muslims. This year's pilgrimage is expected to start around Sept. 22, but Al Sudais told the wounded that, God willing, they would be spiritually rewarded for their intention to perform the hajj if they are physically unable to make the actual pilgrimage.
Nearly 910,000 pilgrims have already arrived in the country for this year's hajj season, according to official figures. - AFP
Saudi authorities began a major expansion of the site last year to increase the area of the mosque by 400,000 sq m (4.3m sq ft), to allow it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at once.
Performing the pilgrimage during one's lifetime is a duty for all able-bodied adult Muslims. This year's pilgrimage is expected to start around Sept. 22, but Al Sudais told the wounded that, God willing, they would be spiritually rewarded for their intention to perform the hajj if they are physically unable to make the actual pilgrimage.
Nearly 910,000 pilgrims have already arrived in the country for this year's hajj season, according to official figures. - AFP
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