Mosque crane collapse blamed on high winds
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — High winds were to blame for toppling a huge crane that smashed into Mecca’s Grand Mosque and killed at least 107 people ahead of the start of the annual hajj pilgrimage, the head of Saudi Arabia’s civil defense directorate said Saturday.
The disaster during a violent thunderstorm that roared through Islam’s holiest city Friday afternoon was the deadliest incident in years surrounding the hajj, which gets under way later this month.
Images shared on social media showed a horrifying scene. The crane boom pierced through the roof of the mosque, bringing down slabs of reinforced concrete and leaving bodies amid pools of blood as frightened survivors screamed in panic.
The director general of civil defense, Suleiman bin Abdullah al-Amro, told satellite broadcaster Al-Arabiya that the unusually powerful winds that toppled the crane also tore down trees and signs as the storm whipped through the area.
He denied reports that lightning brought down the redand-white crane, which was being used for the mosque’s expansion, or that some of those killed died in a stampede.
“The speed of the wind was not normal,” he said. “There was no way for people to know that the crane was about to collapse for them to scramble.”
An amateur video circulating online appeared to show a frantic scramble in the moments after the crane collapsed as scores of people pushed and jostled to get out.
At least 238 people were injured in the accident, according to civil defense figures.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his condolences and said the U.S. stands with Saudi Arabia and “all Muslims around the world in the aftermath of this dreadful incident at one of Islam’s holiest sites.”
The Grand Mosque and the cube-shaped Kaaba within it draw Muslims of all types from around the world throughout the year, though numbers increase significantly in the run-up to the hajj. The mosque is Islam’s holiest site, and Muslims the world over pray in the direction of the Kaaba, which is also at the heart of the hajj rituals.
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.
Nearly 910,000 pilgrims have already arrived in the country for this year’s hajj season, according to official figures.