Iran’s Rafsanjani Offers Condolences over Loss of Lives in Mecca Crane Collapse
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of dozens of pilgrims, including Iranians, following the collapse of a crane in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
In a message issued on Sunday, Rafsanjani offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the victims, Iranian nationals in particular, over “the tragic incident”.
He further expressed the hope that Saudi authorities would immediately take care of the injured pilgrims.
Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Hamid Mohammadi told The Tasnim News Agency that the number of Iranian nationals killed in the collapse of the large construction crane in Mecca rose from one to five.
According to another official at Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, seven other Iranian pilgrims are still missing.
On Friday evening, a large construction crane toppled over during a violent rainstorm in Mecca and crashed into the Masjid al-Haram, killing at least 107 pilgrims and wounding 238 others.
The incident has raised fears about the safety of the site before the yearly hajj pilgrimage that is expected to bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors to Saudi Arabia this month.
Masjid al-Haram is the world’s largest mosque and houses the Kaaba, the black cube that Muslims around the world pray toward and which they walk around during the pilgrimage.