Mecca crane disaster: Saudi king orders SAR 1m compensation for victims’ families

The families of all the 111 pilgrims killed in the crane crash tragedy at the Grand Mosque in Mecca are to receive SAR 1m in compensation, Saudia Arabia’s King Salman has ordered.

The king has also ordered that victims who have suffered life-changing injuries receive the same amount, while other injured parties will receive SAR 500,000, Saudi Gazette reported.

Relatives of the injured will also be granted special visit visas to take care of them at hospitals until they return home.

The report also said that two relatives of the dead foreign pilgrims and those unable to perform haj due to their injuries have been invited to perform haj next year as the king’s guests.

The disaster unfolded last Friday, when a massive crane toppled over at Mecca’s Grand Mosque killing 111 people and injuring over 200 others. The incident took place less than two weeks before the annual haj pilgrimage.

While the government has ordered a thorough investigation, it was announced on Tuesday that the king has suspended operations of the Saudi Binladin group, the Grand Mosque expansion contractor.

The suspension, announced in a statement from the royal court, will remain in force until the investigation is complete and all the legal cases are settled, an official statement said.

The company’s board members have also been banned from leaving the country pending legal action.

The Saudi Binladin had been working for four years on the largest ever expansion in the history of the Grand Mosque, allowing it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at once.