MECCA, Saudi Arabia – At least 87 people were killed and 184 were injured when the crane collapsed at one of Islam’s most important mosques – Mecca’s Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque, the Saudi Arabian government has said.
According reports on Al Jazeera, the crane fell on the east side of the building after a sandstorm, high winds and heavy rain.
The news channel reported the building’s doors were shut and people were locked inside. There was “slight pandemonium”, its reporter said.
“Dozens of ambulances are heading to the site. The authorities closed off the area shortly afterwards,” he said.
“This whole place is already a construction site. What made it worse is that around 5.30pm there was severe rain and it’s just gushing down the road,” he said. “I am surrounded by people who are grieving. The mood here is of sadness.”
The Masjid al-Haram surrounds Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba – a shrine that worshipers visit during the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
