Two Indonesians Reportedly Among Scores Killed in Mecca Crane Collapse

The Jakarta Globe, 12 Sep 2015


Jakarta. At least two Indonesians were among the dozens of pilgrims killed when a crane toppled over at Mecca’s Grand Mosque on Friday, according to media reports.

Quoting an Indonesian hajj official in Mecca, Chairul, Detik.com reported that Masnauli Hasibuan, left for Mecca from Medan, North Sumatra, and Siti Rasmi Darmini, from Karawang, West Java, were confirmed to have died in the incident.

Chairul said up to four more Indonesians may have been killed in the incident, but Saudi authorities were still confirming the identities of at least 107 people killed and 238 injured.

“We are monitoring the situation,” the official told Detik.

At least 30 Indonesians were also injured in the incident and are now being treated at several hospitals and hajj medical centers set up by the Indonesian government across Mecca.

A statement from a spokesman for the administration of the mosques in Mecca and Medina said the crane smashed into the part of the Grand Mosque where worshippers circumambulate the Kaaba and where pilgrims walk between Mount Safa and Marwa.

Pictures circulating on social media showed pilgrims in bloodied robes and debris from a part of the crane that appeared to have crashed through a ceiling.

Saudi authorities go to great lengths to prepare for the millions of Muslims who converge on Mecca to perform the sacred pilgrimage. Last year, they reduced the numbers permitted to perform hajj on safety grounds because of construction work to enlarge the Grand Mosque.



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