Sunday, June 28, 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

    Damaged Nova Scotia Tall Ship Towed Inshore After Difficult Rescue At Sea

    Damaged Nova Scotia Tall Ship Towed Inshore After Difficult Rescue At Sea
    PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — A disabled Nova Scotia tall ship that suffered a series of equipment failures off the U.S. East Coast has been towed inshore.

    Damaged Nova Scotia Tall Ship Towed Inshore After Difficult Rescue At Sea

    Canadian Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell Hospitalized In Los Angeles

    Canadian Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell Hospitalized In Los Angeles
    LOS ANGELES — Joni Mitchell was in intensive care in a Los Angeles-area hospital on Tuesday, according to the Twitter account and website of the folk singer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

    Canadian Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell Hospitalized In Los Angeles

    From A Mountain Top To Centre Block: How Harper Made The Case For War

    From A Mountain Top To Centre Block: How Harper Made The Case For War
    OTTAWA — Twice in six months, Prime Minister Stephen Harper put a motion before the House of Commons to commit Canada to war with the militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

    From A Mountain Top To Centre Block: How Harper Made The Case For War

    Making Sense Of The Duffy Trial: A Primer On The Four Principal Chapters

    Making Sense Of The Duffy Trial: A Primer On The Four Principal Chapters
    OTTAWA — When the trial for Mike Duffy gets underway Tuesday, Crown prosecutors will lay out their case against the suspended senator in four key areas. Here's a look at the issues behind the charges against him.

    Making Sense Of The Duffy Trial: A Primer On The Four Principal Chapters

    Cost Of Iraq And Nato Reassurance Missions 'Classified' In Coming Budget: DND

    Cost Of Iraq And Nato Reassurance Missions 'Classified' In Coming Budget: DND
    OTTAWA — Parliament may have approved a year-long extension to the country's combat mission in Iraq and Syria, but the Harper government is once again refusing to say how much it will cost taxpayers.

    Cost Of Iraq And Nato Reassurance Missions 'Classified' In Coming Budget: DND

    Museum Of History Opens Exhibit Chronicling Terry Fox's Marathon Of Hope

    Museum Of History Opens Exhibit Chronicling Terry Fox's Marathon Of Hope
    GATINEAU, Que. — An exhibit of artifacts from Terry Fox's epic Marathon of Hope is opening this week at the Canadian Museum of History.

    Museum Of History Opens Exhibit Chronicling Terry Fox's Marathon Of Hope