Saudi emergency teams stand next to a construction crane after it crashed into the Grand Mosque of Saudi Arabia’s holy Muslim city of Mecca on September 11, 2015. (AFP PHOTO / STR)
A spokesman for the administration of the mosques in Mecca and Medina said the accident happened at 5.10 pm on Friday when the construction machinery smashed into the part of the Grand Mosque that surrounds the Ka’aba—the black building at the center of the world’s largest mosque.
The tragic accident comes less than two weeks before millions of Muslims from around the world come to Saudi Arabia to perform Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage.
The Saudi authorities immediately opened an investigation into the accident which coincided with extreme weather as strong winds and heavy rainfall hit Mecca in the past week.
Most of the wounded were rushed to hospital while those with minor injuries were treated on the spot by paramedics, the spokesman said.
Eyewitnesses said the red crane collapsed as tens of thousands of worshippers were preparing for the Maghrib prayer (sunset prayer). They argued that high winds caused the crane to collapse which smashed into the second level of the Grand Mosque, causing panic among thousands of worshippers.
Prince Khalid Bin Faisal, governor of Mecca Province, inspected the site of the accident and ordered an inquiry into why the 60-meter high construction crane collapsed.
According to unofficial sources, extreme weather was the likely cause of the collapse despite the stringent safety measures in place.
The crane has been installed at the site for three years as part of a project to enlarge the Grand Mosque—also known as Masjid Al-Haram.