Mecca crane tragedy: Six Malaysians missing, 10 injured

Six Malaysians are reported missing with 10 more injured when a crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque yesterday, an incident where at least 107 people are reported killed.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said up till 4am (Saudi Arabia time) the two male pilgrims and four women are still missing.

He said efforts are ongoing to find the missing pilgrims.

Tabung Haji search and rescue officers team, including medical, welfare and patrol squads, were ordered to rush to the scene when news broke about the crane collapse.

Earlier Malaysian haj delegation chief Datuk Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman said one of the Malaysian pilgrim broke a leg, while five others were slightly injured in the incident.

He said the injured Malaysian pilgrims, four men and two women, were sent to the Syisya Medical centre for treatment.

Pictures of the incident on Twitter showed bloodied bodies strewn across a courtyard where the top part of the crane, which appeared to have bent or snapped, had crashed into the building which is several storeys high.

A video on YouTube showed people screaming and rushing around right after a massive crash was heard and as fog engulfed the city.

The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands of Muslims from all over the world gather for the annual hajj pilgrimage expected to begin on September 21.

The Grand Mosque is usually at its most crowded on Fridays.