SA man’s mosque fright
THE WIFE of one of about 2 000 South Africans on a pilgrimage in Mecca had been on the phone with her husband when tragedy struck on Friday in the holy land.
Mishkaar Mookadam, a teacher, said she had been chatting with her husband of two years, Amir Hamza Mookadam, 26, on WhatsApp when he complained about the severity of the storm there.
On Friday afternoon a crane crashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque killing 107 people and injuring 238. It is believed a lightning bolt struck the crane which caved in the roof of the mosque.
Hamza, who has made more than 13 trips to holy sites, is a tour guide and son of the director of Yusra Tours based in Pretoria. He was travelling in a group of 90 South Africans.
Mishkaar said she had become alarmed during the chat.
“We were chatting over WhatsApp when Amir told me that the storm was so bad that he could not leave the Hajj office. He said things were flying around and he had to wait at the office. The next thing, he told me that the crane fell on the Mosque and that he would chat to me in a bit, as he needed to see if everyone was okay,” she said.
”I was really worried about my husband but he has been in contact with me on a daily basis. They are settled in and trying to focus (on prayer) and will only return in October.”
An employee of Yusra Tours confirmed that no one in the tour group had been injured. They are due to return to South Africa on October 5.
She said she had heard that two South African families had been at the mosque when the tragedy struck.
“The rest were out or in their hotel.”
Amir is still grappling with the death of his fellow pilgrims.
“Initially there was shock and fear, but that has been replaced with a morose feeling,” he said.
Amir said it was initially bright and sunny on Friday.
“At around 3.30pm there was a slight breeze. The wind then began picking up considerably. I was inside a building and could not see a thing through a window because of the sandstorm.
“It began raining and hailing and this continued for an hour. It was coming down in sheets.”
He said he only received news that a lightning bolt had hit the crane about 15 minutes after the incident.
He described the Saudi government as very efficient, adding that South Africans were quickly accounted for.
The incident took place between 4pm and 5pm and the mosque had opened its doors for the main prayer at 7pm.
“While it was an unfortunate incident, the good side is people passed away in a state of
ihraam (purity),” he said. Al-Anwar travel agent Abdur Rahman Laily described the scene following the tragedy as gory, with bodies strewn all over and water running crimson because of the blood and rain.
The Cape Town-based agent is one of six tour guides assisting over 450 pilgrims.
He recalled arriving at the Grand Mosque 25 minutes after the tragedy.
“I was at the hotel when it happened. All I could think about was going to the mosque to ascertain if anyone had been injured. It took us about 25 minutes to get there, and a preliminary investigation revealed that no South Africans were injured.”
Laily, who made several video clips of the incident, said pilgrims had assisted in removing bodies and helping the injured.
Speaking to POST on Monday from Mecca, Laily described life as being back to normal.
“Everyone is preparing for the big prayer in seven to eight days’ time.”
He added that the last part of the crane had been removed from the mosque.