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Bolton father among dead in Mecca crane collapse

A father-of-four from Bolton was among the 107 people killed in Saudi Arabia when a crane collapsed onto the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Tributes have been paid to Qasim Akram who was killed hours after arriving in the city ahead of his first pilgrimage to the holy city.

Mr Akram, who was believed to be 32 and a private hire driver, had been in the Grand Mosque with his parents some 50 yards ahead of them when the crane struck the mosque which is Islam's holiest site.

His parents, Mr and Mrs Mohammad Akram, are believed to have escaped without injury.

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Video shows crane crashing onto Mecca's Grand Mosque

Amateur footage has apparently captured the moment a huge crane fell onto the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing at least 87 people.

The video appears to show the crane toppling over onto Islam's holiest site in the midst of an intense storm.

ITV News is working to verify this video.

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