What a horrible tragedy. Nothing more to add on that front.
I do find fascinating the logistics involved in the Hajj, though, moving that many people through that space. There was interesting “Build it Bigger” sort of show, Nova or something, about them rebuilding all the walkways and approaches to make it possible.
This is horrible. The Hajj is just around the corner, too.
My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones.
At least it didn’t happen during Hajj. Small favors.
Taking a few moments to think about the victims. And their families. And the witnesses. And the first responders. May they all find peace.
.
Structural failure happens.
Forensic-engineering examine the fault, repair the crane, bury the dead, lessons learned, life goes on.
At least it didn’t happen during Hajj.
I think deaths due to Hajj are actually fairly common, cram that many people into a relatively small city and what else would you expect?
Still a rather insensitive reaction considering that life won’t go on 60+ people.
I am going to stay far away from other comment sections on this story. On 11 September no less… there’s gonna be a lot of ugly.
About ten years ago in Melbourne several cranes collapsed in strong winds because the wind pushed the mast of the crane over backwards. The structure around the engine sort of folded over. In that case it wasn’t structural failure. The mast is normally held down by gravity and supported by cables. Strong wind overcame the force of gravity and pushed the mast right over. Maybe it happened the same way in Mecca.
It was a mobile crane - I guess the large boom was almost vertical and was blown back by the wind, which then overbalanced the base.
ETA: The expansion work on the mosque is being led by the Saudi Binladin Group, which was founded by Osama’s father (who had 52 other children).
so sad. it is good to appreciate and be thankful for the lives of our loved ones and send our compassion to those who lost family and friends.
People are dead. Show some compassion and take your bigotry elsewhere.
This is probably as good a place as anywhere to share, but it’s worth pointing out the reaction in much of the Muslim world to the 9/11 attacks. For example, in Iran 60,000 people paused for a moment of silence in a football stadium. The Ayatollah Imami Kashani spoke of a catastrophic act of terrorism which could only be condemned by all Muslims, adding that the whole world should mobilise against terrorism. People held spontaneous candlelit vigils for the victims:
In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak vehemently denounced the attacks, and there were more expressions of grief and solidarity:
<img src="//cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/boingboing/original/3X/a/c/acb7d6b83d84a7afa83d9083bc612703556c7a49.png"width="450" height=“384”>
Palestinians came together to express their condemnation of the attacks, and even the spiritual leader of Hamas harshly condemned them while criticising the US position in the region. Yasser Arafat and many others gave blood and many Palestinian students stood in silence for five minutes:
<img src="//cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/boingboing/original/3X/8/f/8f13322ddcf40f43552e147c151d61756ebc0423.png"width="273" height=“420”>
Kuwatis gathered at their local Red Crescent hoping to donate blood.
Bangladeshis expressed their solidarity too:
<img src="//cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/boingboing/original/3X/5/4/5494476e286f583837824a89a04b3a1518b93b6f.png"width="468" height=“300”>
Pakistan:
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi called the attacks “horrifying” and urged Muslim aid groups to offer help “regardless of political considerations or differences between America and the peoples of the world.”
Clerics in mosques in countries like Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Libya and Sudan expressed their condemnation of the “cowardly” and “un-Islamic” attacks.
While there were some celebrations (which often weren’t as genuine as they appeared and happened in places with existing political grievances against America), these are often the picture people got of the response. The truth is not difficult to find. The fact that some people can look at a tragedy like this crane collapse and express anything but grief due to the religion of the victims says a lot about their lack of humanity, and nothing about Islam.
Good thing the U.S. recognized the potential of that unifying moment instead of pissing it away in a destabilizing one-sided war against a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. 
We seem to miss ALL those opportunities.
Hardly any Americans realize this, but immediately after Hurricane Katrina the Cuban government offered to send a bunch of aid and supplies to the Gulf Coast. They would have been able to deliver badly needed help to New Orleans before the National Guard did if the Bush administration hadn’t turned the offer down flat. (Come to think of it that may be why they turned the offer down—to avoid the additional embarrassment of looking less effective than Cuba.)
So two things.
For the love of FSM this is terrible. 60 people!? And I thought I had a truly horrible day. I am having a hard time not trying to imagine it.
Second, I have operated cranes, excavators, scissor lifts, backhoes, etc. They are beyond dangerous. Hell, my father killed his best friend with a one.
Please be careful around construction and machinery.
We’re like a gargantuan rabid dog. Being nice to it has no effect, kicking it infuriates it, it doesn’t understand reason, it’s way too big to cage… Everyone else in the world just has to somehow put up with the fact that there’s this enormous fucking frothing hellhound wandering around the neighborhood.
I suggest we give that big ol’ patriot a flag.
Seriously, how dead inside do you have to be to post a bacon joke on a story about about 100 people getting killed…
He’s been getting his troll on today. I suspect that account will be dragon chow before lunchtime.
