A hajj pilgrim from Kerala was among the deceased.
By Raghavendra M
Follow @ambazaarmag
At least 107 people, including two Indians, were killed in an accident at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in Saudi Arabia after a construction crane crashed onto the Grand Mosque.
Dramatic @GettyImages pix: >60 worshippers dead as crane collapsed as world's holiest Muslim site at #Mecca, #Saudi pic.twitter.com/Jz6qq8kydY
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) September 11, 2015
A heavy rain and high winds overnight resulted in the crane collapse. Among the dead Indian, one of the victims was Maimun, 33, from Kerala.
Maimun and her husband Ismail, who hailed from Kalmandapam in Palakkad district, had visited Mecca just three days back. Ismail sustained minor injuries in the incident, reported The Indian Express.
#sandstorm in #Mecca #SaudiArabia looks apocalyptic. pic.twitter.com/PrRgv6wBJG
— shamim chowdhury (@shamimjourno) September 10, 2015
Apart from the two deaths, 15 other Indians were injured in the incident.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian officials have said that this year’s hajj pilgrimage will go as usual despite the tragedy.
Mecca crane collapse 'act of God': Engineerhttp://t.co/BOMCfWtIIT pic.twitter.com/h1Vvee1Fap
— Astro AWANI (@501Awani) September 12, 2015
“It definitely will not affect the hajj this season and the affected part will probably be fixed in a few days,†the official was quoted by The Guardian as saying.
Meanwhile, several world leaders have expressed their condolences over the incident via their Twitter handles:
My thoughts & prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives in the crane crash in Mecca. I wish the injured a quick recovery.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 12, 2015
PM: My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones at #mecca today.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) September 11, 2015