Crane falls into mosque, 107 dead, 238 injured

A large construction crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, killing 107 people and injuring 238 others.

Saudi Arabian authorities said on September 11 that at least 107 people were killed and 238 others injured when a large red construction crane crashed into the Grand Mosque in the city of Mecca.

The Saudi Civil Protection Authority said on Twitter that emergency teams were sent to the scene after a "crane fell at the Grand Mosque".

Crane collapses on Grand Mosque, 107 people dead (Photo: AFP)

Images of the accident scene posted on Twitter showed bloodied bodies scattered across a small yard along with the broken top of the crane.

A YouTube video showed people screaming and chaos immediately after the crash, which created a blanket of dust and smoke over the city.

AFP said the Grand Mosque is usually most crowded with worshippers on Fridays, which was also the day the accident happened.

The governor of Mecca, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident and set off for the mosque. Weather conditions in the area were bad when the accident occurred.

Meanwhile, online activists have created a hashtag on Twitter calling on Mecca residents to donate blood at hospitals in the area.

The nationalities of the victims are still unclear. Iran's IRNA news agency said 15 Iranian pilgrims were among the injured.

Ambulance arrives at the scene of the accident Photo: AFP

AFP reports that a major construction project is underway to expand the Grand Mosque, allowing it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at a time.

SPA news agency said on September 11 that nearly 800,000 pilgrims had arrived in the country.

The accident occurred as hundreds of thousands of Muslims from around the world prepared for the annual Hajj pilgrimage scheduled to begin on September 21./.

According to Tuoi Tre