At least 65 dead after crane collapses on Mecca's Grand Mosque

The Grand Mosque in Mecca
(Image credit: MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP/Getty Images)

A construction crane crashed onto the Grand Mosque in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca on Friday, reportedly killing at least 65 people and wounding more than 150 others.

The Grand Mosque, or Masjid al-Haram, is the biggest mosque in the world. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires Muslims to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in their lifetime if they are able to do so, and that means visiting the Grand Mosque. The annual Hajj is set to take place later this month, with hundreds of thousands of worshippers expected to travel to Mecca.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.