Manama: At least five people have been killed after parts of a wall collapsed in the western Saudi city of Makkah on Wednesday.
“The rescue teams are still deploying efforts to make sure there are no more victims at the site,” Jameel Arbaeen, the general director of Makkah civil defence, said. “We do not know yet how the large section of the wall collapsed, and the Governor of Makkah has ordered the formation of a technical committee to look into the case,” he said, quoted by local news site Sabq.
Around 60 metres of the 100-metre long and 15-metre high concrete wall near the Kaaba Hill collapsed in the morning. At least 20 people were also injured in the incident.
Reports said that the wall was part of a massive project to construct a highway in the area.
Makkah is a sacred city for Muslims, where they congregate to perform pilgrimage during a special season and Umrah throughout the year.
The city, located in a valley surrounded by rugged mountains that range from 350 to 900 metres in height, receives millions of people from Saudi Arabia and abroad every year.
