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[h=4]At least 107 dead in crane collapse in Mecca's Grand Mosque[/h]News reports say a crane crashed onto the mosque due to high wind.
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The accident comes just before Hajj, the annual holiday that attracts millions of religious pilgrims.
Video provided by Newsy Newslook
A crane collapsed killing dozens, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, in Mecca. The accident happened as pilgrims from around the world converged on the city, Islam's holiest site, for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place this month.(Photo: Makkah And Madinah 24H Live)
A huge construction<span style="color: Red;">*</span>crane buffeted by strong winds collapsed and crashed onto<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Grand Mosque in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Mecca on Friday, killing as many as 107 worshipers only days before the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>start of the annual Muslim pilgrimage, the Saudi Arabia Civil Defense reports.
The Civil Defense said on Twitter that as many as 238 people had been injured.
Photos sent by Twitter from the scene<span style="color: Red;">*</span>show numerous blood-covered bodies strewn on a marble floor under the arm of a large crane.
Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Mansouri, spokesman for<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet Mosque,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>blamed the accident on a "strong sandstorm, winds and torrential rains," the official Saudi Press Agency reports.
A crane collapsed killing dozens, Friday, Sept. 11, 2015 in Mecca. The accident happened as pilgrims from around the world converged on the city, Islam's holiest site, for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place this month.Makkah And Madinah 24H Live via Instagram<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Makkah And Madinah 24H Live)
The accident occurred as the kingdom<span style="color: Red;">*</span>prepared to welcome 3 million people to the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Muslim holy city for<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the annual<span style="color: Red;">*</span>pilgrimage that begins<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Sept. 21.
Reports of the accident were also carried by<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Al Arabiya and other Middle East news sites.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The Khaleej Times says there are "many casualties."
Civil defense workers examine the remains of a crane that collapsed in the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Sept. 11, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Saudi Civil Defense)
The Grand Mosque or Great Mosque of Mecca (also known as Masjid al-Haram)<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is the largest mosque in the world. It surrounds Islam’s holiest place, the Kaaba, in the city of Mecca. Muslims face in the direction of the Kaaba while performing their obligatory daily prayers.
Saudi Arabia's civil defense authority says dozens of people have been killed after a crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on Sept. 11, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: 2014 photo by Khalid Mohammed, AP)
One of the five pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the hajj pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. The hajj is one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.
The complex covers 88.2 acres, which includes outdoor and indoor prayer spaces. It's open 24 hours a day.
Last year, the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>number<span style="color: Red;">*</span>of people<span style="color: Red;">*</span>permitted to perform the hajj was lowered for<span style="color: Red;">*</span>safety reasons because of construction work to enlarge the Grand Mosque, Reuters reports.
Contributing: Susan Miller in McLean, Va.
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