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At least four dead as building collapses in Mecca
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At least four dead as building collapses in Mecca
At least four people died when a four-storey building collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca yesterday as huge crowds gathered for the annual haj pilgrimage.
The United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM said four of its citizens had been killed as they passed in front of the building. Saudi civil defence officials said an unknown number of people were injured and were now in hospital. Some Mecca residents said about 30 people were staying in the old building, which is close to the Holy Shrine, the focal point of the five-day ritual.
Interior Minister spokesman Mansour al-Turki said details of the incident were still not clear. ?We don?t know for sure how many were killed, if any, or if there were pilgrims in the building or not?, he told Reuters from Riyadh.
About one million pilgrims are already in Mecca for the haj pilgrimage which starts on Sunday. At least 2.5 million are expected to attend this year?s haj.
The haj has been marred by pilgrims? deaths in recent years. Some 250 pilgrims died in a stampede in 2004 during the stoning of three stone pillars which symbolise the devil.
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