MAKKAH, 24 March 2008 — At least four Bangladeshi cleaners were killed when a concrete wall collapsed on to a garbage truck in Makkah yesterday, officials said.

A Civil Defense official said one worker was critically injured and another was missing.

“The accident happened around 10 a.m. Six workers were removing garbage into a municipal truck when part of a wall surrounding a villa complex in the Al-Awali district of the city fell on them,” Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Montashari, spokesman of Makkah Civil Defense, told Arab News.

“Civil Defense rescuers recovered the truck driver’s body from the mangled wreck of the truck, which was buried under the rubble. Three other bodies were found under blocks of concrete,” he said.

The injured man was rushed to the nearest hospital. Several cars were also damaged under the impact of the concrete from the crashing wall. The road was closed to traffic for several hours.

One worker was unaccounted for by late afternoon, Maj. Gen. Al-Montashari said. Police and several Civil Defense units arrived at the scene of the accident and immediately began rescue operations, he added.

Witnesses said they had seen six people working in the truck.

“The search for the sixth man continued for several hours with the help of cranes and other heavy machinery,” one witness said.

A statement issued by Makkah Municipality late yesterday said the workers were employed by the Dallah cleaning company. The cause of the wall’s collapse is yet to be determined and investigations are ongoing.

Civil Defense officials said the remnant of the wall did not pose a safety threat. City officials sought the help of engineers to ensure that the remaining portion of the wall was stable before allowing people to enter the area, an official said.