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Special Report
January 6, 2006

 

Rescue workers look for survivors at the scene of the building collapse. (AN photo by Khidr Al-Zahrani)

 

 

 

 

 

Mecca Hotel Collapse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Click for larger map of Saudi Arabia. (Map by SUSRIS)
 

Click here for complete article.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.

Click here for complete article.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.

Click here for complete article.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.

Click here for complete article.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.

Click here for complete article.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.
On SUSRIS

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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