52 dead as crane crashes into Mecca's Grand Mosque: Reports

Several people were killed and others injured when storms caused a crane to fall in Saudi Arabia's Grand Mosque in Mecca on Friday, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported.

The Saudi Civil Defence authority confirmed the incident on Twitter, but did not give any details on casualties.

The annual Muslim Haj pilgrimage is due later this month, and Saudi authorities go to great lengths to be prepared for the millions of Muslims who converge on Mecca.

Last year, the kingdom reduced the numbers permitted to perform haj for safety reasons because of construction work to enlarge the Grand Mosque.