The Death Toll From The Grand Mosque Tragedy In Mecca Due To Lightning Strike Now Stands At 107 And 203 Seriously Injured

 107 people are now said to have died at the Grand Mosque tragedy in Mecca, according to Saudi Civil Defence with about 203 people seriously injured.

Unimaginable winds and thunderstorms sent the crane crashing through the ceiling of the mosque which surrounds Islam’s holiest place, the Kaaba. Pictures on social media show the crane being struck by a bolt of lightning. The Civil Defence had earlier warned of thunderstorms, heavy rain and high winds in the area.

The tragic incident occurred shortly before the 6:30pm Friday evening prayer session in an outer area of the mosque, which is the largest in the world. Al Jazeera’s Hasan Patel, described the scene: “Dozens of ambulances are heading to the site. The authorities closed off the area shortly afterwards. This whole place is already a construction site. What made it worse is that around 5.30pm there was severe rain and it’s just gushing down the road. I am surrounded by people who are grieving. The mood here is of sadness,” viralthread reports.   Shocking images on social media showed pilgrims covered blood and surrounded by masses of debris. There is also a video making rounds on YouTube, which appeared to record the moment the crane fell, with a loud crash heard in the background followed by panic and shouting.   Emergency services and other medical workers from the Saudi Red Crescent are still at the scene as at the time of this report to continue to provide essential relief for people.

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Viralthread