Mecca fire kills 14 pilgrims
A fire in a building housing Muslim pilgrims in the holy city of Mecca has killed 14 people and injured 43 others, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The fire occurred late on Thursday and was brought under control by members of Mecca’s civil defence force, the force’s chief, Brigadier Ahmed al-Thubaiti, said.
Of those injured, 37 have been treated and discharged and six others, including four from the civil defence force, remain in hospital.
Most of the casualties were Pakistanis and the fire blocked traffic in the main street leading to Mecca’s Grand Mosque, a local newspaper said.
An Egyptian diplomat in Saudi Arabia said two 40-year-old Egyptians were killed in the blaze, while four were among those injured.
The building was occupied by 270 pilgrims performing the “umrah”, or minor pilgrimage, to Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.
An initial investigation showed the fire was accidental, Brig al-Thubaiti said. Mattresses and chairs in the mezzanine level of the 14-storey two-tower building were apparently set alight before the fire spread.
The fire came a few days after three deadly bombings in the capital Riyadh in which 34 people died.
Mecca has in the past witnessed several fires and stampedes, which usually occur during the hajj, or the major pilgrimage required of every able Muslim.
In 2001, 35 people died in a stampede. In 1997, more than 340 people died in a fire that ripped through pilgrims’ tents.
