Cover image via CNNTwo missing Malaysian Haj pilgrims confirmed dead
Image via The Star Online
14 SEPT: Mecca crane disaster leaves 5 Malaysians dead with 2 more missing
Three victims from the Mecca crane tragedy that was identified on Sunday, 13 September.
Image via New Straits Times Online
Zainun Taha, 69, fifth Malaysian victim from the Mecca crane collapse
Image via New Straits Times Online
Meanwhile, the 10 Malaysian victims who were injured in the crane collapse have expressed their new-found determination to complete their Hajj pilgrimage
12 SEPT: On 11 September, at around 10 pm Malaysian time, a mobile crawler crane collapsed onto the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, killing 107 people and leaving 238 injured, most of whom were pilgrims
The collapsed crane has caused a huge crater in the floor of the Great Mosque, which was undergoing an expansion.
Image via The Daily Mail
The crane was one of a number around the Grand Mosque while construction work is carried out.
Image via The Daily Mail
The Grand Mosque is usually at its most crowded on Fridays, the Muslim weekly day of prayer.
Image via The Daily Mail
The head of Saudi Arabia's civil defence said strong winds and heavy rains had caused the collapse. According to witnesses, the crane fell on the third floor above Al-Safa and Al-Marwah at 5:45 pm local time. The holy city of Mecca was preparing for the annual Hajj.
A picture captures the moment the fatal crane was struck by lightning prior to collapsing into the mosque.
Image via The Daily Mail
Emergency workers were quickly on the scene of the tragic incident
Image via BBC
Image via The Daily Mail
Image via The Daily Mail
This video posted on Facebook, which could not be independently verified by SAYS, appears to show the strong winds at the Grand Mosque. It's not clear whether it after or before the crane collapsed.
Following the accident the governor of Mecca, Prince Khaled Al Faisal, has ordered an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, Six Malaysian pilgrims who were at the Grand Mosque in Mecca during the crane collapse have been declared missing.
Pictures emerging on social media show the scale of casualties with bodies strewn across the mosque floor.
Image via The Daily Mail
In addition to that, 10 other Malaysians have been injured
The PM asked for the families to be patient and added that the government are doing their best to trace them.
"In addition to that, 10 other Malaysians have been injured in the incident. There are seven men and three women, all of them are in a stable condition," he said adding that there were 251 medical personnel on location.
Astro Awani published the list of 10 injured Malaysian pilgrims
Image via Astro AWANI
Both the Prime Ministers of Malaysia and India tweeted about the tragedy:
Images being circulated in the media showed what looked like numerous bodies and blood on the floor of the Grand Mosque. An investigation was being carried out to assess the damage and the "extent of the safety of these sites", the BBC reported.
Image via The Daily Mail
Over the year, there have been many serious incidents in the holy city of Mecca during the Hajj, causing the loss of thousands of lives
Last year, the kingdom reduced the numbers permitted to perform haj for safety reasons because of construction work to enlarge the Grand Mosque.
Image via The Daily Mail
