Strong wnds blamed for Mecca crane collapse that left at least 107 dead

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that stormy winds knocked over the crane which collapsed onto one of Islam’s holiest shrines in Mecca and killed 107 people on Friday. "Heavy rain and strong winds of unusually high speed led to the uprooting of trees, the fall of panels and the collapse of the crane,“ General Suleiman al-Amr, director general of the Civil Defence Authority, told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV on Saturday. The number of deaths may increase, al-Amr said. Many of the 238 people injured in the accident were only lightly wounded, he said. Mecca’s governor, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, has ordered an investigation into the incident, Al Arabiya said.

All those who were wounded and the dead have been taken to hospital. There are no casualties left at the location.

General Suleiman al-Amr, director general of the Civil Defence Authority

The disaster was the latest in a series of deadly mishaps to hit the haj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, after hundreds of pilgrims died in a stampede in 2006. Authorities have broadened access paths and imposed limits on the millions of Muslims who converge on Mecca to perform the annual rite in an attempt to reduce accidents. An unnamed Saudi official involved in organizing the haj was quoted by Al Arabiya as saying the pilgrimage would go ahead as planned.

The incident won’t affect the haj pilgrimage this year and repairs to the damaged section (of the mosque) will begin within days.

An unnamed Saudi official

Middle East Mecca