Video: a great storm hits the holy city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia

Strong storms forced schools to close Wednesday in the saudi region of
Meccathe holiest meeting point in Islam, for being the Great Mosque, hit by heavy rains and winds overnight, according to witnesses.

As pilgrims tried to surround the Kaaba, the giant black cube to which all Muslims pray, lightning struck the iconic Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel, Tuesday night.

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The storm brought hurricane-force winds of more than 80 kilometers per hour, Hussein al-Qahtani, a spokesman for the National Meteorology Center, told AFP.

Conditions were similar to a 2015 storm that brought down a crane in
the Great Mosque, killing more than 100 people and injuring hundreds more, Qahtani said.

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No casualties reported in Tuesday’s storm. Abu Mayyada, a resident of
Meccacommented that he had gone out to buy cigarettes and gasoline when “I lost control of the vehicle.

I couldn’t see anything, so I started to hear the Koran on the radio. I didn’t understand what was happening.” The regional authorities of Mecca communicated on the X social network that schools will close in various parts of the city. Classes will be given through digital educational platforms, “for everyone’s safety.”

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