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Monday 14 September 2015 - 07:20

Riyadh negligence caused Mecca incident: Iran’s Larijani

Story Code : 485517
Speaker of Iranian parliament (Majlis) Ali Larijani
Speaker of Iranian parliament (Majlis) Ali Larijani
The Saudi government failed to employ "appropriate measures" to save the lives of the Hajj pilgrims and "caused the incident with its negligence,” Ali Larijani said in a Sunday message of condolence to the families of the victims of the recent accident
 
The Iranian lawmaker also prayed for the recovery of those injured.
 
Meanwhile, Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization announced that the number of Iranian pilgrims killed in the Mecca crane accident has increased to eight. According to reports, 32 Iranians have also been wounded in the incident, while three others are still missing.
 
Earlier reports put the fatalities of Iranian pilgrims at five.
 
At least 107 people have been killed in Mecca’s incident, which happened after a construction crane was toppled by strong winds and storm in the city, crashing into the Grand Mosque ahead of the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage later this month.
 
The Saudi Civil Defense authority stated on its official Twitter account that at least 240 people have also been injured in the disaster as of early Saturday.
 
Saudi authorities have been under fire for mass demolition of hundreds of historic Islamic sites and construction of towers overlooking the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba. The kingdom’s officials claim the destruction is part of a multi-billion-dollar project to expand the Grand Mosque, also called Masjid al-Haram, in an attempt to host more pilgrims.
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