Arm of crane ‘could not withstand strong winds’

JEDDAH: The crane that crashed into the Grand Mosque on Friday was fixed to the ground with four foundations, each weighing 1,000 tons, and it fell after one of its arms broke due to strong winds, said sources familiar with the Grand Mosque Expansion Project.
The project contractor has been told to ensure safety of all the other cranes at the mosque in Makkah while an investigation is still under way to determine the exact cause of the accident.
“The intense wind power created increasing load on the crane, causing the accident. Now, the problem is to dismantle the crane, which is still hanging midair,” the source was quoted as saying by local media on Sunday.
The source denied that the company’s shortcomings caused the accident, adding: “Company officials attended to the site immediately after the incident and have followed up on the situation closely.”
Hisham Al-Faleh, adviser to Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and general-supervisor of the Emirate’s Development Agency, said the committee that was formed by the prince to investigate the causes of the accident has already begun its work.
“After Prince Khaled called for the formation of a committee, an immediate visit was made to the site, and the first meeting of the committee was held after midnight yesterday (Saturday).”
He said the committee reviewed all initial reports of the incident from various sources, while specialized Saudi engineers from a number of agencies have been tasked to identify the exact causes.
“All related agencies have been instructed to cooperate fully with them and provide them with any photographed report from the operations room,” he said.