A few days ago, a horrific incident occurred at Mecca that involved a crane crashing into the ancient site, killing some. Now, over 1,000 people have had to be evacuated from the holy site after a fire erupted at a hotel in the city.
From RT News:
Saudi officials say the fire erupted on the eighth floor of the 11-story hotel in the city’s Aziziya neighborhood, Associated Press reports. Firefighters managed to rescue two injured pilgrims, with a further 1,000 being evacuated unharmed, the civil defense agency said.
More than 1,000 haj pilgrims survive fire at a hotel in #Mecca. 2 injured:spokesman, Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence. pic.twitter.com/JsyzZxIAa8
— Oman Observer (@OmanObserver) September 17, 2015
107 dead after crane collapses at world’s holiest mosque in #Mecca (Pic via @Alamgir_Khawn) http://t.co/UA5IIXYOHi pic.twitter.com/D3qReiq0ir
— RT (@RT_com) September 13, 2015
The hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca which is a religious duty for all Muslims that must be carried out at least once in the lifetime. The key pillar of Islam has witnessed several deadly events over the years.
The bloodiest occurred in 1990 when at least 1,426 people died in a stampede in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel. The deadliest fire in Mecca took place in a tent city in 1997 and killed some 300 pilgrims.