Haj pilgrims rescued after hotel blaze in Makkah

Makkah: A building housing pilgrims from Yemen here was gutted yesterday. No casualties have been reported.

The blaze erupted on the first floor of the 11-storey Dar Gaza Hotel causing panic among the pilgrims. "A short circuit caused the fire," said Haider Al Musaibli, head of the Yemeni mission.

The building is located a few metres away from the Al Masjid Al Haram. Saudi civil defence personnel immediately evacuated the building and rescued those trapped on the first floor.

On hearing the news, Dr. Mohammad Mattar Al Ka'abi, head of the UAE Haj mission, gave instructions to his emergency team, who moved to the place with two ambulances and secured the adjacent buildings, which house UAE pilgrims.