Tragedy at Makkah

The tragedy at the Grand Mosque in Makkah which has killed at least 107 people and injured over 200 others is something that can be blamed on the forces of nature. An unusual storm in Makkah had caused rainfall and winds, which may have contributed to the crashing down of a crane on a large number of people gathered at the Grand Mosque on September 11. Being a Friday, there were a sizeable number of people present at the largest mosque in the world. Saudi Arabia is currently in the process of preparing for the annual Hajj pilgrimage which brings millions to the holiest city on the globe for Muslims. The area around the Grand Mosque is surrounded by cranes and other machinery as work continues on expanding the building by 400,000 square metres, enabling it to hold 2.2 million people at one time.

This is the first major tragedy to take place in several years in Makkah. In the past, following a number of accidents resulting from the huge crowds arriving at the centre of the Islamic world, the Saudi authorities had taken steps to put in place better safety measures and also control the numbers coming in. In 2012, three million people visited Makkah for Hajj. In 2013, stricter limits were put in place on those permitted to come in for the pilgrimage. This has had positive results. But of course tragedy cannot always be avoided. So far, at least 47 Pakistanis have reportedly been injured in the accident. It is the duty of the Pakistani consulate to make inquiries regarding the state of health of these Pakistani nationals and assist those whose family members may have been injured or require help in transporting the seriously wounded back home. It is essential that our citizens are not left alone in this time of agony. We can only be grateful that the accident did not take place at a later date, at a time when the Grand Mosque might have seen far larger crowds filling it. The Hajj pilgrimage is now just 10 days away and the crane tragedy is a reminder of what can go wrong despite all precautions being taken when so many people come together.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2015.

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