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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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'At least 52 killed' after crane collapse at Mecca's Grand Mosque

The Grand Mosque in Mecca is Islam most holy place (file photo). Credit: Reuters

At least 52 people have been killed when a crane collapsed in Mecca's Grand Mosque, Saudi Arabia's civil defence authority has said.

A further 30 people have injured, the authority said via its Twitter account.

The annual Muslim Haj pilgrimage to the holiest site in Islam is due to begin later this month.

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