(VOVworld) - At least 107 people died and more than 230 people were injured when a crane collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Emergency workers were quickly on the scene to deal with the high number of casualties (Photo: AFP)

The huge red crane crashed into a part of the Grand Mosque - the largest in the world - that was filled with worshippers at the time. The head of Saudi Arabia's civil defence said strong winds and heavy rains had caused the collapse. Saudi Arabia’s authorities are further investigating the accident while medical and rescue workers have been sent to the site.

Mecca is currently preparing for the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to arrive in the Saudi city from all over the world later this month.

In 2006, large numbers of pilgrimages resulted in a stampede that killed nearly 350 people.