Civil Defense personnel trying to retrieve bodies trapped under the rubble.

Civil Defense teams at Jabal Kaaba district in Makkah used heavy machinery to clear the debris of a 15-meter-high and approximately 100-meter-long concrete wall which collapsed early Wednesday, killing six construction workers and injuring five others.

Lt. Col. Saleh Al-Olayani, spokesman of Makkah Civil Defense, said the wall made of concrete blocks was used as a support for the extension of the first Ring Road project, which is being constructed as part of the King Abdullah Grand Mosque Expansion Project. The Holy City is teeming with pilgrims.

A quarter of a million pilgrims from various countries have already arrived in the Kingdom. Of these pilgrims 268,633 came by air, 896 by sea and eight by land, according to a statement from the media center of the Directorate General of Passports.

“All entry points into the Kingdom have been mobilized with adequate number of officials and high tech facilities to quickly complete the travel procedures of the pilgrims,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported quoting the statement.

Makkah Emir Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah, who is also head of the Central Haj Committee, will next week visit the Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP) to inspect its readiness for the Haj season. Prince Mishal will also review development projects at the seaport, which is expected to receive over 15,000 pilgrims this year.

 
[wpResize]