Wednesday, June 17, 2026
ADVT 
National

Over 65 Killed As Crane Falls On Mecca's Grand Mosque

Darpan News Desk IANS, 11 Sep, 2015 10:38 AM
    Over 65 people were killed after a crane collapsed on to the Grand Mosque in the Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah, which is preparing for the Annual Haj.
     
    At least 65 people have been killed and at least 30 injured, reported the BBC, citing the Saudi civil defence authority.
     
     
     
     
    It was raining heavily at the time. Few other details are available. Images from the scene showed part of a huge red crane had crashed through the roof of the mosque.Mecca is preparing for the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage.
     
    Construction work has been going on at the Grand Mosque for years to make it big enough to cope with the huge numbers of people who come each year.
     
     
    The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands of Muslims gather from all over the world for the annual hajj pilgrimage set to begin later this month, and Saudi authorities go to great lengths to be prepared for the millions of Muslims who converge on Makkah.
     
    The Grand Mosque is usually at its most crowded on Fridays, the Muslim weekly day of prayer.
     
     
     
     
    Last year, the kingdom reduced the numbers permitted to perform haj for safety reasons because of construction work to enlarge the Grand Mosque.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Rachel Notley Says Document Shredding At Legislature May Have Been Justified

    CALGARY — Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says the public shouldn't rush to judge allegations that documents have been illegally shredded since the Progressive Conservatives were defeated earlier this month. 

    Rachel Notley Says Document Shredding At Legislature May Have Been Justified

    DART packing up, heading home from Nepal after last month's devastating quakes

    DART packing up, heading home from Nepal after last month's devastating quakes
    OTTAWA — Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team is leaving Nepal after a month of work in the earthquake-shattered country.

    DART packing up, heading home from Nepal after last month's devastating quakes

    Auto Crime Is No Game: 33 Arrested During Surrey RCMP's 'Project Hot Wheels'

    Auto Crime Is No Game: 33 Arrested During Surrey RCMP's 'Project Hot Wheels'
    The force says officers arrested 33 people, 15 of whom were found to be breaching court or bail orders, and recovered more than 75 stolen vehicles during the project.

    Auto Crime Is No Game: 33 Arrested During Surrey RCMP's 'Project Hot Wheels'

    Crime Of Vanity & Greed: Kamloops Woman Steals Identity Of An Elderly Man To Pay For Breast Implants

    Crime Of Vanity & Greed: Kamloops Woman Steals Identity Of An Elderly Man To Pay For Breast Implants
    Brandie Bloor, 39, pleaded guilty in provincial court Thursday to fraud over $5,000 and identity theft but will have to wait until late June for Judge Len Marchand to hand down his sentence.

    Crime Of Vanity & Greed: Kamloops Woman Steals Identity Of An Elderly Man To Pay For Breast Implants

    Llama On The Run Gets New Home After Adventurous Escape From B.C. Auction

    Llama On The Run Gets New Home After Adventurous Escape From B.C. Auction
    ARMSTRONG, B.C. — A llama that went on the lam before it could be auctioned off has a new home after his antics stopped traffic on a highway in Armstrong, B.C.

    Llama On The Run Gets New Home After Adventurous Escape From B.C. Auction

    Crown Tells Jury In Trial Of Alleged B.C. Terrorists Not To Pity Accused Couple

    Crown lawyer Peter Eccles said a life of hardship for John Nuttall and Amanda Korody — as recovering heroin addicts living on welfare — doesn't make them any less guilty of planning a terrorist act.

    Crown Tells Jury In Trial Of Alleged B.C. Terrorists Not To Pity Accused Couple