Crane collapse in Mecca kills over 100 people

(Vatican Radio) A construction crane fell and crashed into the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Friday, killing at least 107 people.

A violent thunderstorm toppled the huge crane, which was being used for work around the Grand Mosque ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage, which last year brought over 2 million Muslim pilgrims to Mecca.

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Images posted by social media users showed a horrifying sight:  police and onlookers attending to numerous bodies lying on the floor of the largest mosque in the world.

Saudi Arabia's civil defense authority confirmed hundreds of people were also injured in the accident.

The crane also caused damage near the Kaaba, the cuboid structure which is the focus of the hajj, a pilgrimage every able-bodied Muslim is supposed to make at least once during their lives.