JEDDAH: Last Friday’s storm caused damage of between SR50 and SR70 million in Mina, Haj firms have claimed.

Jamal Shaqdar, secretary general of the coordinating council of companies and internal Haj firms, said these were estimated figures. The tents of 50 out of the 207 companies operating at Mina were affected.

He said 20 percent of those affected had lost everything, while others had losses of between 30 and 50 percent, a local publication reported Wednesday.

Shaqdar said the council was compiling a list of all the damage, with photographs. This evidence would be sent to the authorities for compensation. The camps at Mina make up 10 percent of the financial outlay of Haj firms. Some firms own tents, while others rent them, he said.

Meanwhile, Shiqdar called on the government to allow cars to enter the holy sites over a 24 hour-period before Dul Hijjah 6, or Sunday Sept. 20, to allow firms to prepare properly for Haj. This is because preparations were affected by bad weather this year, he said.

Abdullah Al-Filali, a member of the coordinating council, said workers have to enter the area so they can repair the damage caused by the storm. Some camps needed to be rebuilt completely, particularly in the A-Section of Mina, he said.

The storm last week caused havoc in Makkah, blowing over a crane, which investigators said was in an incorrect position, killing over 111 people and injuring over 300 others.