|
 "Heavy rain and strong winds of unusually high speed led to the
uprooting of trees, the fall of panels and the collapse of the
crane," General Suleiman al-Amr, director general of the Civil
Defence Authority, told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV on Saturday.
The number of deaths may increase, al-Amr said. Many of the 238
people injured in the accident were only lightly wounded, he said.
Mecca's governor, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, has ordered an
investigation into the incident, Al Arabiya said.
Much of the city center is undergoing construction work and many
high cranes crowd the skyline. The Grand Mosque itself is undergoing
an expansion and renovation.
The disaster was the latest in a series of deadly mishaps to hit the
haj, one of the world's largest religious gatherings, after hundreds
of pilgrims died in a stampede in 2006.
Authorities have broadened access paths and imposed limits on the
millions of Muslims who converge on Mecca to perform the annual rite
in an attempt to reduce accidents.
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An unnamed Saudi official involved in organizing the haj was quoted
by Al Arabiya as saying the pilgrimage would go ahead as planned.
"The incident won't affect the haj pilgrimage this year and repairs
to the damaged section (of the mosque) will begin within days," the
official said.
(Reporting By Noah Browning and Omar Fahmy; Editing by Angus
MacSwan)
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