Saudi Arabia Investigates Crane Collapse

As Muslims over the world mourns the death of at least 107 people as a result of a collapsed crane toppled over at Mecca's Grand Mosque, less than two weeks before Islam's annual Hajj pilgrimage.

In addition to the deaths, 238 people were wounded in the disaster which was caused by strong wind and heavy rain.

According to report, the Grand Mosque is currently surrounded by 15 large cranes as it is undergoing major redevelopment work.

The Grand Mosque, known as the Masjid al-Haram, is the largest mosque in the world and surrounds Islam's holiest place, the Kaaba.

The original parts of the Grand Mosque date back 1,400 years. Consisting of a large square surrounded by covered prayer areas, the building has since been extensively modernised, notably from the mid-20th Century.

The expansion of the site started last year to increase the area of the mosque by about 400,000 square metres, as to accommodate over 2 million people.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has begun an investigation into why the crane collapsed. This will help to prevent further occurrence of such incidence.

The head of Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency, Lt Sulayman Bin-Abdullah al-Amr, said an investigation was being carried out to assess the damage, and the "extent of the safety of these sites".

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