Three UAE nationals killed in Makkah hostel collapse

Jeddah: Three UAE pilgrims died and four others sustained injuries in the collapse of an ageing hostel in Makkah on Thursday, the head of the UAE Haj mission said yesterday.

Two other UAE pilgrims are still missing following the tragedy, Mosbeh Mohammad Al Suwaidi said. The death toll in the building collapse rose to 76 on Friday, as earthmovers and heavy lifting equipment had worked through the night as rescuers hunted for survivors.

The UAE victims were identified as Rashid Obaid Rashid Al Ka'abi and Salma Shamis from Al Ain, and Badriyah Ahmad Ebrahim from Umm Al Quwain. The injured UAE nationals have been transferred to hospitals and are in stable condition, Al Suwaidi said.

He identified the injured as Khadeeja Naser, Hassan Ahmad Ali Al Marzouqi, Shaikha Al Affari and Aisha Eid, and the missing as Haleema Abdullah and Mona Abdullah. A search has been launched in coordination with trace the missing nationals, he added.

The deputy head of the UAE Haj mission, Dr Mohammad Mattar Al Ka'abi, said 518 UAE pilgrims have been shifted from the vicinity of the collapsed building to safer accommodation.

The multi-storey hostel collapsed on Thursday. "The death toll now stands at least 76 and the number of wounded remains as before [at 64]," the head of the pilgrimage civil defence force, Major General Alwani Jeddawi, said.

"We may find some more people under the rubble, but we are looking to finish our work today and reopen the road," he said.