Six Malaysians missing after Mecca crane collapse

Saudi emergency teams stand next to a construction crane after it crashed into the Grand Mosque of Saudi Arabia's holy Muslim city of Mecca.- AFP PHOTO

PETALING JAYA: Six Malaysian pilgrims who were at the Grand Mosque in Mecca during the crane collapse have been declared missing.

Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said the six have been identified but cannot be traced.

"This morning at about 4am Saudi time (9am Malaysian time), it was said that the six made up of two men and four women have been identified but not found.

" They might still be somewhere in the mosque or any of the many small clinics set up around there. So we are considering all possibilities," he said during a press conference at the TH hotel in Kelana Jaya.

He added that TH with Muaassah Asia and the search and rescue team there are working together to find the Malaysian Pilgrims.

A crane collapses on the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia.

He asked for the families to be patient and added that the government are doing their best to trace them.

"In addition to that, 10 other Malaysians have been injured in the incident.

"There are seven men and three women, all of them are in a stable condition," he said adding that there were 251 medical personnel on location.

A heavy sand storm on Friday evening led to a crane collapsing on the Grand Mosque.

At press time, the death toll stands at 107 people.

238 people have been reported to be injured.

At present there are a total of 22,320 Malaysian pilgrims in Mecca. The total number of pilgrims there is currently at 2 million.

Families of pilgrims can contact the TH hotline at 03-62071919 to get updates on current developments.