Saudi Engineer blames nature for crane crash

Makkah: The collapsing of the construction crane at Masjid al-Haram in Makkah was not due to a technical fault but was “an act of God”, according to an engineer for the developer.

The massive red and white crane which toppled due to powerful storm crashed through the roof of the Grand Mosque on Friday killed at least 107 people also wounded 238 severely.

The Saudi Binladin Group is carrying out a massive expansion of the mosque for three or four years without any problem to make the pilgrimage more manageable.

The engineer for Binladin Group told AFP, “It was not a technical issue at all,” said the engineer, who asked not to be identified.

“I can only say that what happened was beyond the power of humans. It was an act of God and, to my knowledge, there was no human fault in it at all.”

The incident occurred during a lull in visitors at the mosque and if it happened an hour later it would have been much terrible.

The mishap took place during storms which were so powerful that it uprooted trees and broke windows throughout Makkah.

Governor of the Makkah region ordered an investigation into the tragic accident.