WASHINGTON — (CNN) A crane collapsed Friday at one of Islam’s most important mosques — Mecca’s Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque — killing at least 87 people and injuring 184 others, Saudi Arabia’s civil defense authorities said Friday on Twitter.
There was no immediate comment about the cause of the collapse.
The Masjid al-Haram surrounds Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba — a shrine that worshipers visit during the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Approximately 2 million people a year make the pilgrimage, which this year is due to begin around September 21 .
Pictures emerging from the site show what appear to be part of a crane on a floor, with debris strewn around it.
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(Photo: CNN)
