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SUSRIS
Special Report
The
death toll from the collapse of a hotel in the heart of Mecca has
risen to 53 according to Saudi officials cited by Reuters and BBC
news reports this morning. The four-story building, in the
Gazza section of Mecca, collapsed at about 1:20 p.m. local time
Thursday, January 5, 2006, as pilgrims were returning from noon
prayers at the nearby Grand Mosque. The number of people
injured by the collapse was said to be 64. More than a
million pilgrims are in Mecca preparing for the annual Hajj which
begins on Sunday, January 8, 2006.
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 Death
toll rises to 53 in Saudi hostel collapse - Reuters
MECCA,
Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - At least 53 people were killed this week
in the collapse of a Mecca hostel where Muslim pilgrims were
staying for this year's haj, a Saudi official said on Friday.
Saudi authorities had said at least 18 people died when the hostel
in the Muslim holy city of Mecca collapsed on Thursday. The
Interior Minister official said the number of dead could rise
further as rescue teams continue to clear away rubble from the
building, which collapsed in the mid-day bustle of a narrow market
street.
Mecca
disaster toll rises to 53 - BBC
A Saudi
official confirmed the number of deaths after rescuers searched
through the night hoping to find trapped survivors. Rescuers
have been using heavy-lifting equipment and sound-detecting gear.
The hostel, just outside Mecca's Great Mosque,
fell down on Thursday as people prayed in the nearby streets. At
least 64 people were wounded, officials said.. ..An interior
ministry spokesman said the number of dead could rise even higher.
However, rescuers are still hopeful of finding survivors.
Rescuers
search in rubble of Mecca building - International Herald Tribune
MECCA, Saudi Arabia Rescue workers still hoped Friday to find survivors from a four-story building that collapsed in Islam's holiest city, killing at least 53 people and marring the start of the annual gathering of millions of pilgrims.
Under spotlights, hundreds of men worked with cranes and other tools through the night to remove huge slabs of concrete from the site of Thursday's collapse. Some workers cut through steel girders with blow torches and others used microphones to listen for signs of life.
Old
Hotel Collapses in Makkah
Siraj Wahab & Maha Akeel, Arab News
MAKKAH,
6 January 2006 � At least 20 people were killed yesterday
afternoon and 59 seriously injured when a four-story building
collapsed in the Gazza area, a short walk from the Grand Mosque,
prompting a massive rescue effort by emergency personnel.
Worried pilgrims crowded the area trying to get information about
friends and loved ones. Foreign Haj missions have been flooded
with inquiries.
News
of Tragedy Spreads �at Speed of Light�
Siraj Wahab, Arab News
MAKKAH,
6 January 2006 � The news of the hotel collapse and the
resulting death and injuries spread �at the speed of light�,
as one Emirati official described it last night. News of the
accident spread among the two million Haj pilgrims, as well as
foreign Haj missions, as Saudi authorities continued to work on
crowd control, rescue operations and cleanup. Nervousness
and tension could be felt among the pilgrims camped out at Makkah,
as everyone was trying to find out the nationalities of the
victims.
The
Hajj - SUSRIS NID - January 4, 2006
The
Hajj and Its Impact on Saudi Arabia and the Muslim World - By
David E. Long - SUSRIS IOI - Jan 19, 2005
The
Hajj in Perspective: A Conversation with David Long - SUSRIS
Interview - Jan 23, 2005
Pilgrims
Bid Farewell to Makkah - SUSRIS IOI - Jan. 25, 2005
A Hajj Diary - By Faiza
Saleh Ambah - SUSRIS IOI:
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