Civil Defense spokesman Lt. Col. Ali Al-Muntashiri said the Chinese company responsible for implementing the project would be responsible for compensating affected vehicle owners and taking necessary safety measures to avoid the repetition of similar accidents in the future.
He said three cars were damaged when rocks fell down on them from the mountain that was being demolished to build the track.
Al-Muntashiri said the Makkah municipality had made it mandatory for the company to apply strict safety measures, recalling that a month ago similar incidents had happened as a result of rocks falling down.
Al-Muntashiri, however, refuted claims by residents of the Al-Aziziyah district that the rocks fell because explosives were used to demolish the mountain. He added the company was using heavy drilling machinery instead.
Last Sunday evening, residents of Al-Aziziyah said they were startled by a loud bang that resulted from a large rock falling on three cars.
Local resident Jamal Muhammad said the boot of his Honda Civic was damaged when a rock fell on it.
“We live in an area that is above the general street. Below our area there are many buildings inhabited by local citizens and foreigners. Thank God the rock did not fall on these houses, otherwise many lives would have been lost and properties damaged,” he said.
He said the rock did not fall on the houses because it stopped at the edge of the elevated area where they live.
Raid Qutub, another resident, said his private Chevrolet car and his company’s Mitsubishi Jeep were both damaged by a falling rock.
“I heard a loud bang. When I looked through the window, I saw my two cars had been badly damaged,” he said.
Qutub said as a result of the Chinese company’s operations, many rocks fall down in their area from the nearby mountain, threatening the lives and properties of inhabitants.
He urged authorities to force the company to implement safety measures to protect residents.
Local resident Khaled Ilahi said two days before Sunday’s incident, a large rock fell down on a large courtyard that was being used as a car parking lot.
“The wall of the courtyard was damaged but luckily people and cars were safe,” he said.
