Iran ready to send medical teams to KSA after crane collapse

Iran’s Health Ministry has expressed its readiness to dispatch expert medical teams to Saudi Arabia to treat those injured in a towering crane incident in the Saudi holy city of Mecca.

In a Saturday statement, the ministry expressed regret over the deadly crane collapse in the Grand Mosque of Mecca on Friday, which has reportedly killed at least 107 people.

The ministry is also ready to provide treatment for the injured from other countries such as India, Pakistan and Indonesia in Iran, it added.

One Iranian pilgrim lost his life and more than 32 others suffered injuries in the deadly crane collapse.

The incident happened after a towering construction crane toppled over amid strong winds and storm in the holy city of Mecca, crashing into the Grand Mosque ahead of the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage later this month.

The Saudi Civil Defense authority confirmed on its official Twitter account that at least 240 people were injured in the disaster as of early Saturday.

Saudi Arabia has been under fire for the mass demolition of hundreds of historic Islamic sites and construction of towers overlooking the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba. The kingdom’s officials claim the destruction is part of a multi-billion-dollar project to expand the Grand Mosque, also called Masjid al-Haram, in an attempt to host more pilgrims.