Trial in Makkah crane collapse Case handed to criminal court after 8 month probe

JEDDAH: The trial will begin soon over last year’s crane collapse in Makkah that killed 111 pilgrims and injured 240 people just days before the start of the annual Haj pilgrimage.

The case has been handed to Makkah’s criminal court for judicial review by Bureau of Investigation (BIP) after eight months of investigation. It called a number of defendants and recorded their testimonies.

The defendants’ statements included technical explanations about work on large projects, senior engineers’ and specialists’ accounts on the use of large cranes at construction projects, and other matters related to work on expansion while surrounded by a very high number of people throughout the year.

Further details in the case has not been made public. And its not confirmed that how many will face the trials and whether it will include government officials and executives and engineers from the Binladin Group.

Dozens of cranes surround Makkah’s Grand Mosque, part of a massive construction effort headed by the Saudi Binladin Group.

Binladin Group the construction giant was blamed and it was alleged that the crane’s arm should not have been left up when it was not in use. Several company executives were also banned from traveling abroad.

The crane toppled in the part of the Grand Mosque where worshippers circle the Kaaba due to severe thunderstorm accompanied by violent winds on Sept. 11.

The crash was the worst accident in a decade surrounding the hajj. Saudis, Iranians, Nigerians, Malaysians, Indonesians and Indians were among the dead.