Monday, June 29, 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

    John Baird Lands Job As International Adviser To Barrick Gold, Company Says

    TORONTO — Former foreign affairs minister John Baird has become a special international adviser to Barrick Gold Corp.

    John Baird Lands Job As International Adviser To Barrick Gold, Company Says

    Homicide Investigators Probing Suspicious Death Of Woman In Surrey

    Homicide Investigators Probing Suspicious Death Of Woman In Surrey
    Homicide investigators are probing the suspicious death of a woman in Surrey, B.C.  RCMP were called at 11 p.m. Friday to investigate a death in a home near 127th Street and 103 Avenue.

    Homicide Investigators Probing Suspicious Death Of Woman In Surrey

    Surrey Man Bleeding From Gunshot Wounds Takes Skytrain To Surrey City Centre Mall Food Court

    Surrey Man Bleeding From Gunshot Wounds Takes Skytrain To Surrey City Centre Mall Food Court
    Mounties received a call at around 4:45 p.m. Friday about a man in the Surrey City Centre mall food court who had apparently been shot.

    Surrey Man Bleeding From Gunshot Wounds Takes Skytrain To Surrey City Centre Mall Food Court

    Future Shop Stores Closing, Some Converting To Best Buys, 1,500 Jobs Lost

    Future Shop Stores Closing, Some Converting To Best Buys, 1,500 Jobs Lost
    Best Buy Canada, a subsidiary of Best Buy Co. Inc. that owns and operates both Best Buy and Future Shop stores, said in a statement Saturday that it will be closing 66 Future Shops for good, while 65 others will be converted into Best Buys.

    Future Shop Stores Closing, Some Converting To Best Buys, 1,500 Jobs Lost

    Suspect In Alleged Vancouver Sex Assault Charged, Remains In Custody

    Suspect In Alleged Vancouver Sex Assault Charged, Remains In Custody
    VANCOUVER — A man has been charged after a Vancouver woman was allegedly tied up and sexually assaulted by an intruder in her home.

    Suspect In Alleged Vancouver Sex Assault Charged, Remains In Custody

    B.C. Homeless Won't Have To Pay Thousands Of Dollars For Police Documents: Court

    VANCOUVER — Legal advocates for a group of homeless people in B.C.'s Fraser Valley say they won't have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to access police documents after a court ruling.

    B.C. Homeless Won't Have To Pay Thousands Of Dollars For Police Documents: Court