The latest report from the Middle East says that the death toll in the Grand Mosque accident has climbed to 107. The number of injured pilgrims also rose to 238, according to the Civil Defence Authority of Saudi Arabia.
There is no official breakdown on the nationalities of the dead pilgrims, but embassy officials of Pakistan, India and Malaysia have confirmed injuries. There are at least 14 Pakistanis, 9 Indians and 6 Malaysians injured in the tragedy.
Reuters reports that the Kaaba has been cleared of dead bodies and wounded Muslim who were the victims of a falling crane on Friday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The mosque's Kaaba is where Muslim pilgrims pray while circling the black-clad cube.
General Suleiman al-Amr, director of the Authority, explained the accident to strong winds and rains uprooting trees and rocking the cranes in the area. However, one witness said that lightning hit the crane before it crashed, reports Arab News.
The crane apparently crashed through a ceiling. The Grand Mosque is being expanded which explains the presence of cranes in the mosque. Mecca Governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal, besides visiting the accident site, ordered an immediate investigation into the accident.
The accident happened two weeks before the yearly hajj pilgrimage which attracts millions of pilgrims as going to Mecca and taking part in the hajj at least once in their lives, if they can afford to, is one of the requirements of Islam. However, authorities have been reducing the number of visas granted to Muslim pilgrims in the past years to avert disasters caused by stampedes as pilgrims rush to finish the ritual of circling the Kaaba seven times while walking and praying.
In 2006, hundreds of pilgrims died in a stampede, prompting the Saudi Arabian government to expand the main hajj sites and improve the transport system in Mecca to prevent more disasters. But the falling crane unintentionally created one. Social media was abuzz with posted images of pilgrims in bloodied robes.