THE crane fall incident at Masjid-ul-Haram in Mecca killing over 107 pilgrims came as a big shock to the Muslim world just weeks before the formal celebration of Haj. The incident also left over 238 people injured including 42 Bangladeshi nationals sending concern signals to families of the pilgrims around the world who already assembled in the holy city, news reports said. People went to pilgrim to take bath in divinity but many of them this time would return home in their countries dead or buried there away from their families. It is indeed sad but it happened and the number of dead may also rise. The injured are receiving treatment at local hospitals. As per Saudi government disclosure the mishap occurred at an expansion site at the outer periphery of the Grand Mosque; which aims at creating more space for growing number of pilgrims every year. The crane collapse took place on Saturday evening when heavy rains accompanied by unusually high stormy winds knocked down it on the crowd preparing for prayers. Needless to say that the Saudi government has immediately mobilized rescue operations and also ordered an investigation into the accident. They have all the reasons to feel frustrated and sad at the accident that should not have happened. But the question at the same time is why heavy cranes were at work at such crowded site without taking into consideration the risks that may befall upon the pilgrims. We see no excuse is good enough when so many lives have been lost. Saudi government has earned a bad name. Managing Haj has become a matter of high responsibility in recent years for the Saudi government as the number of pilgrims is exponentially growing over-time. Mobilization of transports, housing and safety of people are becoming ever growing challenge to the Saudi government which is spending billions of dollars to create the infrastructure including the recent introduction of train services around Mecca as a system of mass transport to carry the pilgrims. The entire Masjid-ul-Haram area is also undergoing expansion at a time when the Saudi government is also trying to restrict the number of pilgrims to keep the event manageable. It is expected that the Saudi government will be generously helpful to the family members who lost their dear ones and show all care and foresight to ensure safety of the pilgrims in the coming years.
