Tuesday, 19 January 2016

Crane crash: Trials likely soon

MAKKAH: The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIPP) in Riyadh has returned the case file on the Grand Mosque crane crash tragedy to its office in Makkah to complete investigations and prepare charges against several people.
The charges are likely to include manslaughter, negligence and violation of safety regulations against engineers, project managers and other officials, according to sources quoted by local media.
The court cases would likely focus on how the cranes were set up at the Grand Mosque, taking into account the huge number of people inside, the sources said.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ordered the BIPP to investigate the incident, which included questioning of Saudi Bin Laden Group executives and employers.
The crane crash, which took place during a storm a few weeks before the annual pilgrimage last September, saw 107 people killed and 238 injured.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ordered massive payouts for the families of those killed and injured in the tragedy. In a royal decree after the accident, the king announced that there would be SR1 million paid to each victim’s family, SR1 million to those whose injuries resulted in permanent disability, and SR500,000 for each of the injured.
The king had stated that these payments would not exclude the families of the deceased, and the injured, from launching lawsuits through the courts for compensation.

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