After a sandstorm hit Saudi Arabia on Friday afternoon, a crane surrounding the Grand Mosque in Makkah collapsed in to the courtyard killing at least 107 people and injuring more than 230 people.
As it is the annual Hajj (Muslim Pilgrimage) season, there are expected to be over 2 Million pilgrimage visiting the heart of the Muslim world, Makkah, to worship and fulfil their religious obligations. Muslims were circulating the Kaaba, a black-cubed building signifying the house of God and a direction of prayer, when the crane fell around 5:30pm due to heavy wind and rain.
Due to the large numbers of the Hajj season and otherwise, Saudi authorities have tried to facilitate all pilgrims and are continuing to work on the expansion of the Grand Mosque. This is expected to be completed by the end of 2015. The crane collapsed from the third floor of the Grand Mosque.
Shortly after the incident, the area was sealed off for staff to clean and remove the deceased bodies. All is expected to be back to normal today.