Saudi Arabia's King Salman orders a safety review for the Hajj pilgrimage after at least 717 people died in a stampede near the holy city of Mecca.

The deadly stampede at the hajj in Saudi Arabia on Thursday that killed at least 717 people is just the latest tragedy to strike the pilgrimage.

717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage are killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims from across the globe begin the annual hajj pilgrimage in one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.

Jumaa Ibrahim and his wife Hasnaa Karam, a Syrian couple in their early 60s, arrived in Mecca on Friday, and headed straight to Islam's holiest site, the cube-shaped Kaaba.

A Bangladeshi has been identified among 107 victims, who died in Mecca crane collapse on Friday.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman says the results of an investigation into why a crane collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, killing at least 107 people, will be made public.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directs Bangladesh mission in Riyadh to take immediate steps to provide all necessary assistance to the Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims injured in Mecca crane collapse.

This year's hajj pilgrimage will go ahead despite a crane collapse which killed more than 100 people at the Grand Mosque of Mecca, a Saudi official tells AFP.

Saudi Arabia has begun an investigation after a crane collapsed in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, killing 107 people.

A massive construction crane crashes into Mecca's Grand Mosque in stormy weather Friday, killing 87 people and injuring 184, Saudi authorities say, less than a fortnight before the hajj pilgrimage starts.

Saudis are asking Snapchat to host this live coverage on the 27th day of Ramadan (13 July this year) as it is believed to be one of the more blessed nights of the month.

With twelve towers, 10,000 rooms, 70 restaurants, plus helipads and a full-size convention center, Abraj Kudai in Mecca is set to become the largest hotel in the world when it opens in 2017.