Crane death: N70m compensation for each family of Nigerian pilgrims

...As Saudi showers millions of Riyal on Mecca crane victims

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SAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI authorities on Tuesday rolled out series of compensations for victims of the Grand Mosque crane disaster in Mecca, with families of each of the Nigerian victims to collect N70 million.

Nigerians pilgrims, from Kaduna, Katsina and Gombe states, were among those who died in the disaster and going by conversion of one Riyal to N70, family members each would be compensated with the princely amount by the oil-rich country.

Gatewaymail gathered that six Nigerian pilgrims were confirmed killed while the whereabouts of scores of other colleagues remained unknown, thus fueling speculations that they may have died in the crash.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who condoled with Kaduna, Katsina and Gombe states coupled with families, relations and friends of the deceased, enjoined Nigerians to continue to pray “for the quick and full recovery of their compatriots who were injured in the unfortunate incident.”

“He also prays that Almighty Allah will accept the souls of the departed Nigerians who died a glorious death in the service of God,” the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, said in a release.

While announcing the rewards for the families of the victims, the Saudi government also said that it found the construction company that had been working in the kingdom in the last four years to expand the mosque in order to accommodate more pilgrims, responsible for the crash.

It found the firm culpable and therefore sanctioned it with couple of punishments.

The kingdom monarch, King Salman, ordered that one million Saudi Riyals should be paid to families of the victims, while the same amount should be given as compensation to the injured persons with disability.

Nigerians pilgrims were among those who died in the disaster and going by conversion of Riyals to Naira families of each of the deceased would collect N70 million.

At the official rate, N70 exchanges for one Saudi Riyal.

The King also directed that similar compensation should be extended to those who were injured in Haram accident.

Similarly, two relatives of each of the deceased persons would be sponsored for Hajj next year, and they would be guests of the monarch, it was learnt.

Meanwhile, the Saudi authorities said the construction firm, Saudi Binladin Group was partly responsible for the the collapse of the crane.

It would be recalled that no fewer than 107 people died with about 400 sustained various degrees of injuries at the incident which happened last Friday during Jumat service.

Authorities in the holy land said that the investigative body set up to probe the crash found that the company failed to respect the safety procedures at the construction site, thus leading to the disaster.

As a result, the kingdom said that none of the company’s executives in Saudi should leave till the end of the legal procedure against the firm.

The construction company, it was gathered, would also not be allowed to be involved in any further new public projects in the kingdom.