Mecca Crane Accident: Bin Laden Family Firm Suspended After Grand Mosque Incident

By R. Siva Kumar - 17 Sep '15 10:11AM

Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), a family construction group that was operating in Saudi Arabia was suspended after Friday's crane accident in Mecca, killing 107 pilgrims and injuring around 400.

Saudi King Salman banned the group's executives from leaving to go abroad, even as investigation was still not completed, reported AFP.

On Tuesday the court ordered the finance ministry to review its projects and stop it from taking on future ones, according to Al Arabia.

The company was found to be 'partly responsible' for the crane crash that happened. The committee blamed Saudi Binladin Group for the accident, and said that the firm's "negligence" could be responsible for it.

Last Friday, a crane crashed onto the Mecca's grand mosque, triggering a tragic collapse when Mecca, Islam's holiest site in the world was getting ready for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to begin on September 21, HNGN reported.

"Saudi Binladin Group is partly responsible for the accident and has not respected the rules of safety," investigators told state-run Saudi Press Agency, according to RT.

"The main reason for the accident is the strong winds while the crane was in a wrong position," the committee said in its report, according to Arab News.

The Saudi Binladin Group had been founded in 1930 by the father of Osama Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader. The current manager of the group is his brother Bakr bin Laden, according to BBC.