aljazeera.com. in saudi arabia at least 62 are killed as a crane falls on the grand mosque in mecca. ♪ you are watching al jazeera. i'm david foster, also coming up in the next 30 minutes. panic at an austrian rail station as syrian refugees are crushed in the crowd as they beg for help. saudi-lead forces carry out an air strike on a yemeni tv station saying it was a weapon's store.

and with love from vanuatu, one of the south pacific's last traditional tribes in the spotlight at the venice film festival. ♪ this news has reached us here at al jazeera within the last 10 or 15 minutes. we understand that at least 62 people, and that is just the toll we have at the moment, have been killed by a crane, which fell on to the grand mosque in saudi arabia in mecca. dozens of people were hurt in this, and this accident is just before the pilgrimage which starts on september 21st. that is what we have at the moment. we'll bring you more as soon as we can. the deepening rift in europe's approach to dealing with refugees has widened further with the eastern european countries of hungary, poland, the czech republic, and

slovakia all rejecting refugee quotas. on friday refugees rushed the train as police had to hold people back. the train was brought there to transport refugees to vienna, but the scene turned chaotic. a child here seen getting treatment after he was injured in the incident. almost 4,000 crossed into austria from hungary on thursday, but just 450 were allowed on to the train. and hungary is facing mounting criticism over the treatment of the refugees as mohammed jamjoom reports from the south of the country. ♪ >> reporter: in an overcrowded refugee camp, the hungry are frantic for food. in this scene of chaos and confusion in hungary, the

authorities distribute what they have by throwing it through the air. t the lucky ones are able to catch their meals. these refugees on these buses are waiting to get into the camp. everybody i have spoken with aboard these busses are worried about what they are going to face. many fear what being fingerprinted in hungary would mean for them. i'm trying to get to holland he tells me, but i'm told that germany is the only country that will take refugees who have been processed and fingerprinted here. causing more concern is how they will be treated. rights groups say conditions inside the camp are appalling. >> the government has neither the capacity nor the political will to address the humanitarian needs of these people. >> reporter: he shows me videos of men and women fenced in,

desperately to leave. so these are thoroughly miserable conditions. >> absolutely. yeah, i mean people are just crowded in these pens like animals. >> reporter: he believes the hungarian government is attempting to send a message by deliberately mistreating refugees. >> they want to make their lives as miserable as possible, so word gets out to the many thousands still planning this journey to try to avoid hungary to the extent possible. >> reporter: the interior ministry tells us these images have been taken out of context. here the influx continues even as the weather worsens. they use anything they can to remain dry. throughout hungary, their stories are only getting worse. refugees desperate and deprived, who can't understand why they are unwelcome.

>> i met a man who escaped from a town held by isis, and he told me sitting there with his three children, it's better in syria, because in syria if there's an explosion you die once, here i'm dying a thousand deaths of humiliation in front of my children. >> reporter: having fled their homes, and lost their possessions, the last thing they ever expected was to be stripped of their dignity. turkey is where many refugees board boats ground for greece. and authorities say they have rescued thousands off of the coast this week. these pictures were taken off of the coast in western turkey where more than 430,000 refugees

have crossed the mediterranean to europe so far this year. that is more than double the number who attempted the crossing last year, the figures coming from the institute of migration. more and more refugees are crossing to greek islands every single day. afghan refugees on this vessel are arriving on the island of lesvos on friday. lesvos has been the starting point for almost half of the 200,000 refugees that have lands in greece this year. yemeni tv station has been destroyed in air strikes from the saudi-lead coalition. the building was allegedly used by rebels as a weapon's store. there have been rocket attacks

in ma'rib where at least 20 were killed. >> reporter: military jets strike houthi positions in yemen's capitol sana'a. coalition forces say they are targeting ammunition depots on the outskirts of the city. the fighting has escalated across the country. in the central city of ta'izz, forces loyal to exiled president hadi hold their ground. despite a surprise attack by houthi fighters to retake areas recently lost. houthis backed by troops loyal to deposed president saleh, insist they still have the upper hand. >> you cannot solve yemen crisis by war, that has been proved over the last six months where no side has been effective. the only side that has lost over

the last six months have been the people, the 25 million people who are now suffering and are going through a fierce humanitarian crisis. [ explosion ]. >> reporter: fighter jets are also targeting houthi military bases, rocket launchers and troop gatherings. a coalition build upis planning an offensive to retake control of sana'a. the capitol was captured by the houthis a year ago. the u.n. is planning to hold talks between all sides, but it's not clear whether yemen's main rivals are willing to put an end to the conflict that has killed thousands of people and destroyed much of the country.

hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera. russia says it will continue to send weapons and aid to syria to help it fight the isil. peter sharp is in moscow and sent us this. >> reporter: sergei lavrov, the foreign minister is making really this case for -- for giving these arms -- this heavy arm's shipment to syria, solely to fight the threat from isil. his spokesman said the threat is evidence and the only force capable of stopping that threat on the ground is -- is syria. he is saying that air strikes alone won't be enough, and this is why this -- this hardware, this military hardware is going in that direction, but it does really beg the question, how is russia going to ensure that

those weapons are being used against isil and not being used in this four and a half year civil car -- war that has cost the lives of 200,000 people. lavrov is also saying that the pentagon has suspended its cooperation -- operational corroboration with russia at the moment, and the kremlin and the foreign ministry especially are asking that that be renewed, because at the moment there are u.s. and russian forces operating in, around, and above syria. the polls have closed in singapore, after the most competitive lobing shun ever. the ruling party has been in power for the last 50 years, and is almost certain to keep hold of the power. but a widening wealth gap and

demands of the younger generation has called for more opposition. >> reporter: people were already lining up when the polling stations opened. voting here is compulsory, but the wider choice of candidates has added a new dimension. casting his vote, the prime minister, the son of the founding father of singapore. >> we have had some impact. of course we like people to listen, and -- and absorb more always, but i think we got our messages across. >> reporter: he has presented his people's action party as the obvious choice to manage the economy and provide strong leadership. subtle references were made to the political instability taking place in neighboring malaysia. while the haze that has hung over singapore for much of the election period has been a reminder of the forest burning going unchecked in nearby

indonesia. the ruling party has played on the need for unity at a time of regional uncertainty, often portraying this republic at the tiny red heart at the heart of south asia. are people generally happy or not? >> well, i am. so i am hoping the rest of singapore is. >> there is a lot of talk in terms of people wanting to have a choice, but when things are really good, i don't know that a choice is actually required sometimes. >> reporter: but this campaign has seen a ma insuring of singapore's opposition parties in a tightly controlled city state not used to dissenting voices. spurred on by a largely younger generation wanting more choice, rallies have been well attended.

>> in the past this pervasive culture of fear has prevented people from even going to listen. >> reporter: whether that make the gains they have been hoping for, this election events a work in progress for those with opposing views. we'll be back after the break, and we'll be reporting from a japanese city where torrential rain has flooded thousands of homes. why cheap land deals in zimbabwe are probably too good to be true. ♪

these are the top stories here on al jazeera, at least 65 people are now known to have died and more than 80 were hurt when a crane collapsed on to saudi arabia's grand mosque in mecca. the annual pilgrimage is due to take place later this month. further chaotic scenes on the austrian hungarian border, as a number of e.u. countries are rejecting refugee quotas. singapore's ruling action party looks set to win parliamentary elections by a landslide. now to those horrible picture we're getting out of saudi arabia. let's go to my correspondent actually in doha, but i think

heading off to saudi arabia pretty soon. just before the hard pilgrimage, this is a building which has historic significance as well. >> absolutely. it is at the center of the pilgrimage, that side witnessed the biggest expansion project since 2011. the saudis want to increase the capacity of the grand mosque to accommodate about 2 million people at the climax, so it's very, very important scene. you wonder why the cranes are there, well, it's because to continue with the project, continue with the construction for that expansion. i think at this time of year, construction stops, but we do know from sources inside mecca saying the crane fell or collapsed because of bad weather.

there was a storm, heavy rain and strong winds, and we understand it fell on the eastern side of mecca. as you mentioned, david, now the pilgrims are starting to reach mecca. we understand there are tens of thousands already inside the shrine, so i fear the death toll could really rise. i hope not, but it's quite a significant incident. finally, david, we also understand that at least three medical teams are trying to help. >> how is this going to affect the pilgrimage, the 21st of september, i believe it starts, and the grabbed mosque is central to all of this. what is it going to mean? what do you think it might mean? >> well, i think they will take more extraordinary measures to try to increase the level of

safety and awareness, and probably try to fix those cranes and make sure they don't move even in harsh weather condition. i don't think they will call it off, because remember, the journey is key to islam. so i don't think the sadies will call it off. it depends if the numbers of pilgrims who have died or will probably die or are injured could rise. i doubt it will, but i think it will give them a wake-up call, david to be vigilant, aware, and to tell the pill -- pilgrims to be very, very diligent. >> thank you. the japan prime minister has called for an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss flooding.

wayne haye reports from one of the worst-affected areas. >> reporter: japan's 18th typhoon of the year continued its destructive path, as it moves up the island, it dumped an unprecedented amount of rain. the self-defense force and coast guard lead the recovery effort from the air as two rivers burst their banks. further south this river unleashed its fury. and several days of rain saw this river burst and take everything with it. >> translator: we were preparing to evacuate when the firefighters rushed to us to tell us the banks had collapsed. >> translator: it is force than i expected. the buildings near the river

were completely destroyed. one again i was reminded of the energy of water disasters. >> reporter: evacuation centers have been set up. those with no homes to go to are being given set shelt -- shelter and food. >> translator: we decided to help out victims of the flood as they go through this tough time. >> reporter: for now, the situation seems to be improving. the good news in this area is that the water is receding quickly, and the weather has cleared, which will enable a cleanup operation to begin, but clearly it will be sometime before many people are available to return home. the fraudulent sale of land is big business in zimbabwe, and thousands of people have fallen victims to scams and are now being forced from their homes after spending their life

savings. >> reporter: these families thought buying land in zimbabwe at below market praise was a sure thing. now the rightful owners and council officials want them to pack up and leave. many say they have nowhere to go. >> i wonder where these demons are coming from. that's my worry. because how can he let some of his brothers and sisters, you know, [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: some who refuse to leave had their homes demolished by the city council. a bulldozen destroyed this house in minutes. over here was a bathroom and the toilet, thousands of dollars gone, the hard work of an entire family now in ruins. it is estimated thousands of

poor people across the area have been scammed. >> that's why the police are in the process of arresting those people or [ inaudible ] and fleeced the unsuspecting rez de -- residents of thousands of dollars. >> reporter: but it's no consolation for those who have lost all of their money. >> it is very painful and i wonder how they want us to survive. shelter is a basic need for everyone. >> reporter: in some areas families don't get evicted. they are told to pay the market value of the land. some say they can't afford it. >> translator: if you have 200 square meters, that's 50 times 200. where do we get that money? >> reporter: life here is difficult, especially for the poor. workers are being laid off.

prices keep going up. for most people owning their own home means a little bit of security in these tough economic times. now some families don't even have that. the u.k. labor party is about to unveil its new leader and the front runner is a member of the party's left wing which has been marginalized for 20 years. supporters see jeremy corbin as a man to sweep away ositary, energize an electorate. but critics say he is more likely to destroy the party's chances of winning any election. lawrence lee reports. >> reporter: for a man who himself thought he had no chance of winning, his rise has been the most startling political story. his core messages make corporations pay more tax,

renationalize services which have been sold off, reshape the economy to help the poor, have the parties grassroots supporters in raptures. >> it's being run by a whole bunch of people who know nothing about our lives at all. these are millionaires, how are they supposed to understand a mother that is going without food so she can feed her own children in a first world country. >> reporter: the architects of the modern labor party despair at all of this. what all this represents is the most extraordinary revolt against the labor party. and jeremy corbin will [ inaudible ] people and it appears the majority [ inaudible ] as a warrior who will fight for the interests of the middle class.

so this demonstrates the huge problems facing the labor party. corbin's rocketing support is by no means shared by most labor mm's many of whom have said they won't work with him if he becomes a new leader. >> i'm sure we are going to make a lot of progress, because we want to oppose what the government is doing on welt fair, health service, trade unions, and ordinary people's lives by the cuts it's making through the budget and the gross inequalities that exist in britain. all of the usual signs here in middle england. the sort of place that labor should have won, but failed to. but for the majority a reflection of how limited interest in politics is these days. jeremy corbin?

>> no. >> reporter: you haven't heard of him? >> no, i don't do politics. >> i don't do politics. >> reporter: so if he wins he faces the most enormous challenges, persuading a cynical voting public that things can be different, and taking on a media which is almost entirely totally hostile to him. politics could become really interesting, it could also be the end of the labor party. a film which was shot in the south pacific is giving audiences at the venice film festival a rare incite into one of the last traditional tribes. some of the cast have left their island homes for the first time and gone to venice, and charlie angela went to meet them. >> reporter: until two years ago, these people had never seen a film.

now they are the stars of one. in a production they helped cowrite, a story of love and tragedy, based on their experience which echos the tail of romeo and juliette. they have made stoit venice to see themselves on the big screen. >> this is such a multi-cultural environment that we have never seen, tall buildings, and cars everywhere, and crowds of people. it's very, very strange, and everything looks so strange, compared to our culture where we live with nature. >> reporter: the scenery is lush and stunning, no special effects needed. the filmmakers warned that the tourests might flood in after seeing the film, but they say they want the world to understand their culture. here at one of the most expensive hotels in venice, the

cast said that their community is the happiest on earth. >> in our culture there are no homeless. there are no poor people. everyone is equal. money is very rare. we have overcome traps of money. we have overcome the laws of government, because we want to maintain the reputation of the happiness. >> reporter: the directors and their children lived with the tribe for seven months, learning about their way of life. >> but they don't live with full-in culture, because they have to, because they are too remote. it's a choice. they in fact live only about an hour's drive from the town where there are shops and people live on money and all of the rest of it. they choose not to have anything to do with that. >> reporter: proud to show off their customs on the red carpet

and on screen -- in which millions of muslims