AT least 87 people have been killed and more than 180 people were injured when a crane collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia last night.

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.

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.

It happened at a time when many worshippers were there for Friday prayers.

Shortly before the crash, the city had been hit by unusually high levels of rainfall and winds of up to 83kph.