Report: Saudi Binladin Group fined over 2015 crane collapse
A criminal court has imposed a $5.3 million fine on the Saudi BinLadin Group and sentenced seven people to prison over the collapse of a crane ahead of the 2015 hajj pilgrimage
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A criminal court has imposed a $5.3 million fine on the Saudi BinLadin Group and sentenced seven people to prison over the deadly collapse of a crane ahead of the 2015 hajj pilgrimage, a leading Saudi daily reported.
More than 100 people were killed in the incident. Buffetted by strong winds, the 1,350-ton crane collapsed onto the Grand Mosque that houses Islam’s holiest site, the cube-shaped Kaaba, bringing down slabs of concrete on worshippers below. Less than two weeks after the Sept. 11 crane collapse, a stampede and crush of pilgrims killed more than 2,400 people, according to an Associated Press count.
The Okaz daily reported Tuesday that the company was fined 20 million Saudi riyals, or about $5.3 million, for negligence and violation of safety regulations. Three defendants were sentenced to six months in jail and fined 30,000 riyals ($8,000) and another four were sentenced to three months and fined 15,000 riyals (about $4,000). Okaz did not report their names or nationalities.
The court ruled that the company is not required to pay blood money to the families of those killed, a traditional form of restitution in the conservative kingdom.
