The death toll in the collapse of a Mecca hostel where Muslim pilgrims were staying for this year's haj has risen to 76.
Yesterday, Saudi authorities had said at least 53 people died when the hostel in the Muslim holy city of Mecca collapsed.
Residents had said they thought about 30 people were staying in the hostel, which jostled with souvenir shops and hotels in the narrow street. They said the hostel was at least six storeys high and 30 years old.
More than 2.5m pilgrims are expected to converge on Mecca
for the haj, which begins formally on Sunday.
The Saudi authorities had set a deadline at midnight on Wednesday for the last pilgrims to arrive in the kingdom.
They had also deployed some 60,000 security personnel to try to prevent any repetitions of the deadly stampedes and structural failures that have marred previous pilgrimages.
