Photos: Crane collapse kills 107 people at Mecca Mosque 10Days Before Hajj

 A construction crane crashed through the roof of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 107 people and casting a grim shadow on a yearly pilgrimage that draws millions to Saudi Arabia.
Islam which requires every Muslim who is physically and financially able to make the journey to Mecca at least once in a lifetime and Hajj occurs two months and 10 days after Ramadan ends, during the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah.

Nearly 800,000 pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia by this week for Hajj, authorities said.
According to reports, at least 238 others suffered injuries when a powerful storm toppled a crane 10 days before the start of the Hajj, an annual pilgrimage.

The mosque is the largest in the world and surrounds Islam's holiest site known as the Kaaba.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud visited the site of the crane collapse Saturday, according to the state-run Saudi Press agency.
The ruler gave his condolences to the victims' families and vowed to investigate the cause of the accident. He also visited a hospital where he wished the wounded a speedy recovery.
One American said

"My main concern is safety issues that arise with such a big crowd," said Faten Abdelfattah, 32, of Texas, who was leaving Saturday.
"It's a reminder to put my trust in God and that I can't stop death if it's my time whether I'm there or sleeping safely in bed."

 She thinks the Saudi government will take extra precautions.
"I feel more comfortable after learning that they prevented pilgrims from entering the [site of the Kaaba] to check on construction equipment," she told CNN. "I believe they have the pilgrims' best interests in mind and after the incident they won't leave anything to chance."

Witnesses posted photos and video on social media showing the crane crashing through the mosque roof. Scores of bodies, blood and debris lay scattered across the courtyard.

"We just washed and were getting ready to head to the Masjid al-Haram for the Maghrib prayer (sunset prayer)," said Yahya Al Hashemi, 30, a CNN iReporter who shot iPhone video of the crane striking the roof of the mosque.

"It was a sandstorm which turned to rainstorm and lot of the construction covering boards were flying around, and lots of cracking noises which unfortunately ended with this tragedy. ... Everybody was pushing trying to escape from inside towards the exits," Al Hashemi said.

The crane collapsed after a strong thunderstorm hit Mecca, bringing gusty winds that shifted direction and caused the local temperatures to drop, CNN meteorologists reported.

Tragedy has hit Mecca before, often because of the throngs of people there for the Hajj.

In 2006, a stampede killed at least 363 people. As with other incidents, it happened during a religious ritual in which the pilgrims stone a symbolic devil.

Hundreds were killed in other stampedes in 2004 and 1998, and 1,426 died in 1990.

Credit: CNN