Nine more Indians killed in Mecca crane collapse

The relatives of the deceased would be sent for Haj from Hyderabad, the release added. They were Abdul Khader (38) and his wife Fatima Begum (32).

They were among the nine Indian pilgrims who were identified in the mortuary.

A total of 11 Indians have been killed in Friday’s crane crash tragedy in Mecca city of Saudi Arabia, as nine more deaths were confirmed today, the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) said here.

The Indian consulate general in Jeddah confirmed this late Sunday, hours after Haj Committee officials announced that a couple from Andhra Pradesh were also among the dead.

Officials said since most of the victims were crushed under the debris, it might have taken a long time for the identification of the deceased.

The number of dead in the crane crash has gone up to 111 so far, while 331 people are injured. Two people who were reported killed earlier have been identified as Moniza Ahmed(West Bengal) and Maumeena Ismail(Kerala). The injured included 19 Indians.

The English language Sudan Vision newspaper said that the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement on the incident reassuring citizens that the country’s pilgrims were largely safe.

He said the four pilgrims were declared missing after a thorough verification and bed checking in the three houses accommodating the state pilgrims.

A 63-year-old pilgrim Sheikh Ahmed Ali from Nizamabad district of Telangana died of cardiac arrest late on Saturday.

Many of the pilgrims, leaving in groups organised by the operators, will travel to Saudi Arabia around September 17, five days before the Haj rites begin. They include 2,963 from Telangana, 1,819 from Andhra Pradesh and 654 from Karnataka. The official Haj mission will return on September 27, when many pilgrims are also expected to return.