Dozens Killed when Crane Falls on Mecca Mosque

Nearly 100 people were killed when a crane collapsed into the Grand Mosque located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, one of the holiest sites within the religion of Islam.

At least 87 people are confirmed to have been killed and another 180 injured in the incident, according to The New York Times. The crane seems to have fallen during a bout of intense wind and rain.

Images on social media showed widespread carnage and wreckage including blood and dazed, injured mosque goers. The damage was particularly devastating because the incident took place around 5:45 p.m. local time, less than an hour before an enormous prayer service was to begin at 6:30 p.m.

The crane that fell was just one of dozens around the mosque as the government is in the middle of massive expansion works to help keep pace with the ever growing influx of pilgrims. Among the construction sites are the world's largest hotel, with 10,000 rooms, 70 restaurants, and a helipad.

The Grand Mosque in Mecca is the biggest on the planet and it is also home to the Kabaa, which is the point toward which all Muslims pray when they worship and it is also where millions travel to each year for the Hajj, an undertaking all able Muslims must carry out at least once in their lifetime. Roughly 3 million people perform the Hajj each year, traveling from all over the world to converge on Mecca.

Unfortunately, at the Times notes, this is not the first time that tragedy has befallen Islam's holiest site. A number of deadly stampedes have taken place over the years, with the deadliest claiming 1,400 lives in 1990. More recently, a stampede in 2004 killed more than 200 while in 2006 another stamped left more than 300 dead.