Less than two weeks to the beginning of this year’s Hajj, a construction crane has collapsed in the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, killing 107 people and injuring at least 238 on Friday.
According to head of the Kingdom’s Civil Defence Directorate, Lt. Gen. Suleiman al-Amr, strong winds and rain uprooted trees and affected cranes in the area.
“The crane crashed through a roof at Mecca’s Grand Mosque during a heavy rainstorm, leaving piles of debris, jagged rubble and bloodied victims on the marble floors.
“Images on social media showed dazed survivors, and the injured and dead being dragged across blood-streaked floors,” the Washington Post reported.
There have been earlier cases of mishaps such as this one in Mecca, including one in which hundreds of lives were lost in a stampede in 2006.
This year’s Hajj is expected to commence around September 21. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, and Sawm.
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