At least 87 people died after accident at the Grand Mosque of Mecca

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—A crane accident at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca killed at least 87 people on Friday, Saudi officials said, days before the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage which will see more than two million religious tourists to the country.

An additional 184 people were reported injured, according to the official Twitter account for the nation’s Civil Defense department. Prince Khaled al-Faisal, the governor of Mecca, has ordered an urgent investigation into the accident, Saudi state television said.

The Grand Mosque is Islam’s holiest site. It has undergone a substantial renovation as the Saudi government works to expand it to host more visitors.
Footage aired Friday by state television showed police and medical teams attending to bloodied bodies on the mosque’s white marble floors.
More than half a million pilgrims already have arrived to the Kingdom in preparation for Hajj this year, while construction continues at the mosque and surrounding areas.
Saudi Arabia has limited the number of people allowed into the country for the pilgrimage in recent years to accommodate construction for the city’s expansion project.
The construction at the mosque, set to finish next year, was slated to bring the mosque’s capacity to 2.3 million worshipers.