Tripper truck barges into house, 2-year-old girl killed

Nada Al-Maddah
Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — The Traffic Department has formed a committee comprising three officers to investigate a fatal accident involving a tipper truck that crashed into the wall of a building in Makkah Saturday evening, killing a two-year-old Indonesian girl.

The truck carrying boulders was coming down a steep slope when the driver lost control and crashed into the three-story building in Aziziah district. The wall collapsed trapping the girl under the debris inside her ground-floor apartment.

The Indonesian head of the family that lived in the apartment was injured and five cars parked near the building were damaged, said Capt. Ali Al-Zahrani, spokesman for the Makkah Traffic Department.

The girl was pulled out by a rescue team after towing away the truck using a Civil Defense crane, but she was already dead.

Maj. Saleh Al-Olayani, spokesman of the Makkah Civil Defense, said six teams took part in the rescue operation. The injured Indonesian was taken to Al-Noor Hospital in Makkah for treatment.

Other tenants in the building were evacuated and power supply was cut off as a precautionary measure until the structure was confirmed safe.

Al-Zahrani said investigations were under way into the accident and witnesses were still being interviewed. He said the circumstances surrounding the accident would be disclosed Tuesday morning.