At least one worker is believed to have been killed and 12 others were hospitalized after the collapse of a mosque while under construction in Awali District in Makkah, Monday. The workers were mostly Arabs and Asians. The Makkah Civil Defense Department rushed 20 rescue teams to the scene of the incident within only 5 minutes with 20 tanks of water to dismantle the freshly-made concrete slabs which were believed to have caused the collapse. The structure was being supported by temporary shoring. The debris accumulated 30 tons of concrete and steel from which trapped workers were rescued. The total area of collapse was measured at nearly 700 sq. meters. An engineering committee has started investigating the reasons behind the collapse of the mosque. “The collapse occurred in the second floor,” said Col. Ali Al-Muntasheri, spokesman of the Makkah Civil Defense. The collapse happened when the workers were pouring concrete for block construction and steel framing, he said. The injured were taken to Noor Hospital in Makkah within about 15 minutes with mild injuries, he said. Early investigations show that the collapse was caused by construction failure, he said.
