Mecca crane collapse: 107 dead at Saudi Arabia's Grand Mosque

At least 107 people died and more than 230 people were injured when a crane collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The huge red crane crashed into a part of the Grand Mosque - the largest in the world - that was filled with worshippers at the time.

The head of Saudi Arabia's civil defence said strong winds and heavy rains had caused the collapse.

Mecca is currently preparing for the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to arrive in the Saudi city from all over the world later this month.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThe crane was one of a number around the Grand Mosque while construction work is carried out

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionIt collapsed during stormy weather

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionEmergency workers were quickly on the scene to deal with the high number of casualties

Image copyrightAP

Image captionThis image shows the overturned base of the crane

The collapse happened at 17:23 local time (14:23 GMT), said Director-General of the Saudi Civil Defence Authority, Lt Sulayman Bin-Abdullah al-Amr.

It happened at a time when many worshippers were there for Friday prayers.

The toll for the dead and injured, tweeted by the Civil Defence Authority (in Arabic), continued to rise throughout the evening.