More than 1,000 pilgrims have been evacuated and two have been injured during a fire at a hotel in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Advertisement
Col. Saeed Sarhan, spokesman for Civil Defense in Makkah Region, said that firefighters managed to evacuate 200 people from the hotel.
The fire comes after a crane collapse in Mecca last Friday killed at least 111 people and injured more than 390.
The Kaaba is a massive cube-shaped structure at the centre of the mosque towards which Muslims worldwide pray and which has a major role in the hajj.
“It is also a gesture of our appreciation and a thank you to the pilgrims for choosing Qatar Airways, and we wish them all a wonderful experience during their stay in Mecca”.
Stampedes at the end of the Hajj have caused troubles in the past as pilgrims look to finish their praying and get out of the city as quick as possible.
The pilgrims’ camps in the holy sites and their residences in Makkah and Madinah are all ready, as the Kuwaiti Hajj Mission is continuously contacting and coordinating with Saudi officials to best serve the pilgrims, especially the Kuwaiti ones, he affirmed. In recent years, the oil-rich kingdom has invested in making the pilgrimage rituals easier and safer.
Advertisement
Nigeria lost six pilgrims in the accident with four women from Gombe and one male apiece from Katsina and Kaduna states, while Saudis, Iranians, Malaysians, Indonesians, Britain and Indians were also among the dead.
