A minaret under construction in the Masa area of the Grand Mosque here collapsed Thursday night, killing three people and wounding 14 others, two of them seriously, authorities said. Two other persons were believed to be buried under the rubble. None of the casualties were pilgrims, said Maj. Ali Al-Muntasheri, Makkah Civil Defense spokesman. A huge steel ladder fell from the third floor to the second inside the minaret at the expansion project area of the Masa, he said. Early investigations showed that the weight of the ladder triggered the collapse.