Mecca Death Toll At 76
Deadly Building Collapse Mars Start Of Hajj
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Play CBS Video Video Hajj Hotel In Mecca Collapses CBS News RAW: Emergency workers in the Mecca, Saudi Arabia, are clearing rubble after the collapse of the Al Ghaza Hotel. The tragedy came as Muslims converged to Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage.
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Saudi civil defense men carry a dead body out of the rubble of a building collapse on January 5, 2006 in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images/Muhannad Falaah)
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Saudi civil defense personnel search for survivors at the scene of a building collapse January 5, 2006 in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images/Muhannad Falaah)
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Rescuers search rubble after hotel collapse in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 5, 2006, video still. (AP /APTN)
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The injured are assisted by medical personnel after a hotel collapsed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006. At least 15 pilgrims were killed Thursday and 39 injured. (AP)
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An injured woman is taken away by rescuers at the scene of a building collapse in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006. (AP)
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Photo Essay Mecca Hotel Collapse Workers rush to the rescue after the collapse of a hotel in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
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Interactive The Fundamentals Of Islam Learn about the Muslim religion and find out where the largest Muslim populations live in the U.S. and around the world.
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Under spotlights, hundreds of men worked with cranes and other tools through the night to remove huge slabs of concrete from the site of Thursday's collapse. Some workers cut through steel girders with blow torches and others used microphones to listen for signs of life.
"I believe that people are trapped and I still hope to find some survivors," said Brig. Hamad al-Ahmadi, who oversaw the night operation.
Relatives of people who were in the building waited all night at the scene for news of their loved ones. But rescue workers recovered only dead bodies Friday.
As the rescue operation continued, more than 1 million pilgrims headed to the nearby Grand Mosque for Friday prayers. They have come to Mecca for the annual hajj pilgrimage that begins Monday.
The building that collapsed, Lulu'at al-Khair, is just 200 feet from the Grand Mosque. It housed shops and restaurants and is used as a hotel during pilgrimages.
Talha al-Nizi, a Tunisian guide for pilgrims, said his group had just finished midday prayers Thursday and returned to their hotel adjacent to Lulu'at al-Khair.
"As I moved to step into my hotel, the whole building collapsed in front of my eyes. The whole street was full of dust," said al-Nizi, who used his mobile phone to capture video and still images of the collapse.
About 1,000 rescue workers, medics and police were quickly deployed around the collapsed building.
"Fortunately the building was almost empty when it collapsed, because most of the residents were in the holy shrine at that time," civil defense Maj. Gen. Alwani, who did not provide his first name, told government-run Al-Ekhbariya television. "Most of the casualties were from the passers-by near the building."
A government official, who did not identify himself, told Al-Ekhbariya that the 40-year-old building's foundations were cracked and weak. Neighboring buildings were evacuated as a precaution, the network reported.
However, the operator of the hotel, Habib Turkestani, told The Associated Press that the 25-year-old structure was sound.
"The building was in good shape, and what happened was a matter of fate and divine decree," Turkestani said.
©MMVI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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