The Grand Mosque is the world’s largest and houses the Kaaba, the black cube that Muslims around the world pray toward and which they walk around during the pilgrimage.

The Saudi government is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar project to enlarge the mosque, and the site is currently ringed with cranes. Many other construction projects are also underway in Mecca, including for the world’s largest hotel, with 10,000 rooms, 70 restaurants and a helipad.

Saudi news media reported that the governor of Mecca Province, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, had called for an investigation into the cause of the crane collapse.

Image Inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, after a crane collapse that Saudi authorities said had killed at least 87 people. Credit... European Pressphoto Agency

The Al Jazeera television network said the crane had fallen in the midst of a severe rainstorm, suggesting weather may have played a role.