An important time for Muslims
The Makkah Grand Mosque is usually at its fullest on Fridays, which is the Islamic day of prayer. The mosque holds the Kaaba, which is the structure Muslims around the world face when they pray. The Makkah crane accident comes at a key time in the Islamic faith as Muslims make the journey to Makkah for the Hajj.
The Grand Mosque has been under construction over the last year or so as workers enlarge it to accommodate the rising number of Muslims who make the trek to Makkah each year. Last year, officials reduced the number of Muslims who could perform Haj inside for safety reasons because of the construction work that was under way, according to Gulf News. The Hajj starts in just 11 days.
The Makkah crane accident is the only recent incident during the Hajj, as there haven’t been any over the last few years. Saudi Arabia has been investing in infrastructure to assist in moving the large numbers of Muslims who want to take part in the annual event.
Details on the Makkah crane accident
The death toll in the Makkah crane accident in Saudi Arabia is rising quickly, with Al Arabiya News now reporting that 65 people have been killed and another 154 wounded. Those numbers come from the Saudi Civil Defence Authority. It’s believed that the crane collapsed due to high winds in the area at the time. The crane crashed through the roof of the Makkah Grand Mosque, and the arm of the crane can be seen through the big hole in the roof.
Photos making the rounds of Twitter show pilgrims in blood-soaked robes after the Makkah crane accident. Most are too gruesome to be shared. Emergency personnel are digging survivors out of the rubble. It’s possible that the death toll and number of those injured will rise even further.
The Makkah crane accident occurred at an important time in the Islamic faith, as hundreds of thousands of Muslims are journeying to the city for the annual hajj pilgrimage, which is scheduled to begin within the next few weeks. Muslims took to Twitter to call for prayers for the injured and martyred. (In the Islamic faith, when a Muslim is killed during prayers, they are considered a martyr.)
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Inside a Saudi Arabian Makkah, a crane accident has claimed at least 62 lives and injured at least 30 more. It happened at the Makkah Grand Mosque. The cause of the crane accident isn’t clear yet, but pictures posted on social media show what looks like part of a crane had crashed to the ground.
