Makkah crane crash: 40 accused identified

JEDDAH: The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution has identified 40 people who will face charges for negligence because of the crane crash at the Grand Mosque last year that saw over 100 people killed and scores injured.
The files of the accused have been transferred from Riyadh to Makkah, where the state prosecutor is expected to add several more names next week and produce a final list, according to a press report on Monday.
The 40 on the list include 10 government officials, while the others are managers, technicians and engineers working on the massive expansion project at the Grand Mosque.
An initial investigation had revealed that the crane had fallen because of negligence involving several employees of the Saudi Binladin Group. These people were named in the report sent to the public prosecutor’s office in Riyadh.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman last year ordered massive payouts for the families of those killed and injured in the crane crash tragedy, which claimed the lives of 111 people and injured over 238.
In a royal decree, the king announced that SR1 million would be paid to each victim’s family, SR1 million to those whose injuries resulted in permanent disability, and SR500,000 for each of the injured.
The king stated that these payments would not exclude the families of the deceased and the injured from launching lawsuits through the courts for compensation.
The king also reviewed the report of the committee investigating the incident.