JEDDAH, 10 February 2006 — Saudi authorities announced yesterday that they have fined seven hotels in Makkah for failing to fulfill safety conditions.
The move comes a month after the collapse of a hotel in the holy city that killed 76 pilgrims and injured 62 others.
“We have evacuated the seven hotels located inside the central region of the city after they were found dangerous and we have cut their electricity connections,” said Col. Jameel Arbaeen, director of Civil Defense in Makkah.
He said one building owner in Misfala was fined SR30,000 for taking electricity connection illegally and in a haphazard manner. “In this case, we’ll also question Saudi Electricity Company workers in the city,” Arbaeen said.
There are more than 500 hotels in Makkah, owned by individuals and companies. These hotels reported 100-percent occupancy during the Ramadan and Haj seasons. Hotel room rents in the city range between SR180 and SR400.
According to Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, 76 people died in the Jan. 5 collapse of the hotel located close to the Grand Mosque.
