[nasional_list] [ppiindia] Old Hotel Collapses in Makkah

  • From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
  • Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 02:35:34 +0100

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Friday, 6, January, 2006 (06, Dhul Hijjah, 1426)


      Old Hotel Collapses in Makkah
      Siraj Wahab & Maha Akeel, Arab News

     
        
            

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

      Interior Minister Prince Naif ordered an investigation into the cause of 
the collapse.

      Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said that 11 of 
the confirmed dead were men, eight women and the gender of one could not be 
ascertained. Of the 59 injured, 18 are women and 41 men.

      He said the owner of the building, which was supposed to house not more 
than 65 people, had made additions to its structure illegally according to 
preliminary findings.

      The tragedy occurred at about 1.20 p.m. as thousands of pilgrims made 
their way back from the Holy Mosque after Zuhr (noon prayers). Many of the 
victims were hit by large chunks of falling debris.

      Emergency rescue units, including the Saudi Civil Defense and the Red 
Crescent Society, arrived on the scene shortly after the collapse.

      "They were on the scene within 15 minutes of the tragedy," said Moinuddin 
Ahmad, a Bangladeshi construction worker who was working close to the scene of 
the accident. "The whole building collapsed in a matter of minutes, raising a 
cloud of dust," he added.

      Ahmad added that the municipal authorities in Makkah should not have 
allowed the building to be used for housing pilgrims. The building was located 
across the street from the Makkah Sheraton, next to the bustling Al-Juffali 
Market complex.

      Helicopters hovered overhead and ambulances, with sirens wailing, took 
the injured and the dead bodies to three main hospitals in the area: Ajyad, 
Al-Nour and Zahr.

      The director general of the Red Crescent Society in Makkah, Khaled 
Al-Hebshi, told Arab News that 70 ambulances ferried the injured to hospitals. 
"It is not an easy task finding and rescuing people from under the rubble but 
the efforts by the ambulance units and the civil defense will continue as long 
as it takes," he said.

      Saudi authorities confirmed last night that three of the dead were 
Emiratis.

      Two clothing stores, each staffed by six Bangladeshi workers, and a shoe 
store operated by a Yemeni man were located on the first floor of the building, 
which, area residents said, was the oldest building in what otherwise is an 
area of modern high-rise structures.

      Although the cause of the collapse remains unknown, people at the scene 
said the building was structurally unsound despite its renovated exterior.

      "I saw the building coming down. A huge number of pedestrians were caught 
unaware," said Hassan Ibrahim Muhammed Al-Jassimi, an Emirati national staying 
at the adjacent Qasr Al-Gazza hotel. "My wife and I fled to the Holy Mosque as 
the building was coming down around us."

      Al-Jassimi said his wife remained in the Grand Mosque as he returned to 
the scene to check on a friend staying in the collapsed building.

      Another Emirati, Juma Al-Shamsi, was visibly shaken and worried about a 
relative who had been staying in the building. "I don't know what happened to 
my friends. I just heard from my relatives that four Emiratis were among the 
dead. They are calling us from Dubai and we are confused. We don't know what to 
do. We cannot even go to our hotel. All entrances are closed," said Shamsi.

      Among the injured was a woman from Kerala's Malapuram district, 
identified by the Indian mission in Makkah as Pathummu. Her Haj cover number 
was given as KL2132/6.

      "Pathummu suffered injuries to her mouth when falling debris hit her in 
the face. She lost one of her teeth. She was treated at a hospital and later 
released," said Indian Consul General Ausaf Sayeed. "She was on her way to her 
residence in Building No. 107 which is quite far from the collapsed building."

      All roads and tunnels leading to the collapsed building were cordoned off 
as ambulances, cranes and heavy earth-moving equipment were used in a massive 
rescue effort. Traffic police were maintaining order and handling inquiries 
from pilgrims worried about missing friends and relatives.

      The hotel was popular because of its prime location. Local residents said 
that Egyptians, Tunisians and Emiratis were among the guests, but the 
nationalities of those staying there remain unconfirmed.

      "This is a big tragedy," said one Bangladeshi man selling drinking water 
on the roadside near the site. "Especially since Haj is just two days away. May 
Allah protect all Hajis!"

      - Additional input from Samir Al-Saadi
     


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