>> more than 100 people are killed in saudi arabia after a crane collapses at mecca's grand mosque. hello, this is al jazeera, live from doha. i'm adrian finighan. also on the program. >> my friend die, my teacher die, that's very bad. >> we meet the children that are among the thousands of refugees that are making the desperate move to europe. >> flooding in japan kills at least three people. and a major upset at the u.s.

open. serena williams grand slam hopes shattered by an unseeded italian, roberta vinci. at least 107 people have died after a construction crane collapsed onto the grand mosque in mecca in saudi arabia. more than 230 others were injured in the accident. the holy city are preparing for rival of millions of people for hajj, annual muslim pilgrimage. jerald tan reports. >> the moment the crane collapsed captured on amateur video. another clip posted online provides an idea of the chaos that followed. the construction crane toppled through roof of the grand mosque in the muslim holy city of

mecca, killing scores of people and injuring many more. >> nobody had a clue what happened. compare the situation like a bomb blast, a bomb blast, you don't know what happens, almost like that. and. >> for several hours scenes from inside the grand mosque showed emergency crews rushing to help victims and to clean the site of debris. >> translator: incident happened at 5:23 p.m. due to the severe rain and the wind speed as high as 83 kilometer. this is causing the tower crane to collapse, near a gate near the meshi area. >> this is the buildup to the busiest time of the year to the sacred mosque. the time of the hajj where muslims come to the birth place

of the holy muhammed. >> we hope god accepts the victim in paradise and we hope for a speedy recovery of the injured. >> reporter: the grand mosque is a virtual construction site. cranes surround the complex, with a multibillion dollar construction project underway. the sheer number of people coming to mecca each year has resulted in stampedes and other tragedies. the saudi government go to great length to ensure the safety of visitors but tri's tragedy, will force areview of the construction practices around islam's most holy tight. >> hasam patel was at the grand mosque when this incident happened. >> around 6:30, 15 ambulances

were going in at a fast pace, after a heavy sandstorm. later i spoke to a few peek inside the grand mosque and basically they witnessed the crane falling on the third floor of the grand mosque. doors were shut, people were shut in. and there was slight pandemonium. just recently i had spoken to someone who lost a friend someone from africa who got caught up in the actual movement, some casualties took place not because of the crane falling but the actual resulting of people trying to escape. >> as you heard the crane collapse happened just as millions of muslims begin to gather for hajj. the start of the muslim religious site is based on the lunar placement.

it is mandatory that every muslim do the hajj once in their life if they can afford it. last year two million muslims took part. thousands of people are expected to march in london on monday, hoping to convince the u.k. that britain should welcome more refugees. europeans have failed to come up with a unified plan to deal with the influx. many who have set out on the trip are children. hoda abdel hamid met up with them on greece's border with macedonia. >> reporter: when both land ashore children are often crammed in the middle. some are only a few months old. for others, it's an experience that will mark them, as much as the war they fled. >> translator: we were really frightened on the boat. i thought we were going to

drown. we were also so scared that the coast guard would take us back to turkey. we had life vests but i was still very scared. i was afraid to sleep on the streets of lesbos but what could i say? i had the sleeping bag, rolled it out and slept, that's it. >> reporter: left syria about four weeks ago, after his brother was killed by a barrel bomb. he met ayman, also a syrian. and they gave courage to one another as they continue their travels. there is no age limit to be a refugee, entire families are ton roads, sleeping wherever they can. there is little space for youngsters to be children these days. parents often say it is for their sake that they beg their way through europe. but often it's the kids and their resilience that give them the courage to continue.

zara's parents decided to leave kabul after her school was bombed by the taliban. >> see with my eyes that my friend die, my teacher die, that's not very good. that's very bad. after the bomb we don't have -- we don't have a school. because the school is go to air. and i stay in the home, don't go out. because my father said, may if you go maybe the taliban kill you because you are young girl. we have difficult life. we have difficult travel. i wish i wish i want better life. without kill, without stress. i want a life, simple life. >> reporter: the children have their own uncertainties and challenges ahead. martez doesn't know when he will see his parents again. he hopes as soon as he will get his paperwork done.

he is also aware that perhaps the road ahead is more difficult. that some on the road ahead don't want him or his friend ayman. >> please, open the borders, we are not scary people, we're escaping war. we're not here to hurt you. we don't eat people. we left because we risked dying from barrel bombs. we want to protect ourselves a little just a little. >> worries of an adult felt by a child. hoda abdel hamid, al jazeera, on the greek macedonian border. >> australia's air force has completed its first operation over syria. no weapons were used during the mission which comes two days after australian prime minister tony abbott expanded operations against i.s.i.l. from iraq to

syria. turkey's government has lifted a curfew in the southeastern city of jizra. after fighting broke out with kurdish rebels. 30 fighters have been killed but kurdish politician he say the dead include almost 20 civilians. military had jizra under siege. a magnitude 5.2 earthquake has struck japan's capital tokyo. there's no risk of a tsunami though. warning of possible landslides after heavy rainfall. shinzo abe has been visit is the areas hit by floods. many are left homeless. more than 100,000 have been affected by the floods and landslides. at least three people were killed. more than 20 others are still

missing. >> japan is certainly used to tropical storms and types of. this is the 18th typhoon to sweep across the country this year so far. more rain fell in the 24 to 48 hour period than normally falls in the entire month of september. and it was simply too much for rivers to cope with. in particular, the kinugawa river which burst its banks around 1:00 in the afternoon on thursday, sendin sending a wallf water into joso and taking everything with it. the good news is, the water has cleared, many people are leaving evacuation centers so they can begin a cleanup operation. there are several people missing so the death toll could rise and a large recovery operation is

underway. central india blast tore through a restaurant in jebwa district, 75 were wounded. still to come here on al jazeera. we'll have more on the refugees tough and distressing journey searching for a better life in urine. testing the right equipment and debate continues as to whether they are too heavy-handed. we'll be right back.

>> every saturday night. >> i lived that character. >> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> gripping... inspiring... entertaining. "talk to al jazeera". saturday, 6:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> hello again, the top stories here on al jazeera. at least 107 people have died

after a construction crane collapsed on the grand mosque in mecca. more than 230 others were injured in the accident. the holy city is currently preparing for this year's hajj later this month. european countries are struggling to come up with a united plan to handled the refugees. trying to convince britain to take in more refugees. floodwater in japan is now receding. at least three people were killed more than 20 others are still missing. >> austria says its rail system remains suspended. andrew simmons special report.

>> father and daughter alone with their thoughts. they have come so far herded from one place to the next. like the others here bedding down for the night. it's the uncertainty that hurts as much as the bruises and sores. >> some people think we will die in the sea, everywhere, everywhere, when you sleep in the street when you -- without anything. >> if all goes well this is the day their painful odyssey will end in germany. but if you're a refugee, this is the only way you can board a train in budapest. and it's the strongest who make the most headway. without help, the youngest are in danger of being crushed. the police have orders to let through only enough people to fill one carriage of each train.

abdul razak and his only daughter rabir have waited eight hours to get to this point but they make it. on the move again, destination germany. >> how is your dad now? >> loving. i just want to make him feel like i'm strong. and make him strong when he seem like i am happy there, that make him happy also. >> reporter: the last person to join abir's group had been this young man. he ended up separated from friends in a detention center. he shows video of a camp and said he had no means of leaving this room. >> they didn't let us go to the toilet. they didn't let us to speak to make a call to do anything. >> he's under 18 and so classed as a child. but he's grown up on this trip. >> it was cruel.

and i feel lonely. i miss my father and my mother. >> every one of these carriages is filled with accounts of tragedy and persecution from all over the globe. but as this train hurtles through the bavarian country side, on what is the last leg of their incredible journey, the atmosphere isn't one of joy and, they are going to safety. she ultimately hopes to settle her father in sweden. she wants to complete her university studies and return to her home land as a medic. >> i will come back to syria and make everything, everything for people for children for syria. for free syria of course. >> translator: god please look after the syrian people. >> reporter: how do you feel about leaving syria?

are you sad? but arriving in munich he's composed again. germany is offering more of a welcome than anywhere else. this colossal mass movement and its suffering is shaking some of the complacency of western europe. at the same time it's polarizing opinion in some communities. abir tries to disguise her doubts. >> everything will be like i want. >> you're always the optimist. good luck. andrew simmons, al jazeera, munich. >> some of the more prosperous countries of the middle east have been criticized not doing enough for syrians fleeing the conflict. six countries of the gulf cooperation council have hardly

taken in any. home to hundreds of thousands of syrians but don't of give them refugee status. saudi arabia says they've received over 2 million refugees.. and sent $700 million in aid to the syrian people. let's get a view from roger shanahan, joining us live from sydney. is the u.n. do you think right to criticize gulf countries for not doing more to take in refugees, to help refugees? >> i certainly think they are correct in doing that. it's not only a global issue, but it's more particularly a regional issue. and i think it's unconscionable that very wealthy regional states are refusing to resettle a single refugee.

>> part of the problem is that saudi arabia says it's contributing money to syrians who are at the moment are stranded in refugee camps. so many people are stranded in those camps in turkey which has taken by far the most, jordan, there are people stranded in lebanon and it's their sense of desperation i think that's leading to this exodus to this mass flight to europe to a better life. >> certainly. one of the reasons for that sense of desperation is an inability to resettle in the region, take jordan for instance where saudi arabia has a common land border. it's no major logistical feat to settle refugees into a saudi arabian camp. we see the refusal to not resettle any of the refugees is

puzzling, saudi arabia has one and a half million domestic helpers but will settle no refugees. last year bahrain issued 33,000 visas for maids but has not resettled a single refugee. disturbing figures. >> explain to me why they are not taking in refugees. they are certainly wealthy enough, they can afford it. >> certainly. they pushed back on the criticism by saying that they've offered residency visas which are temporary. but they've never said why they're not going to give citizenship to syrian refugees and resettle them. you can only think what the reasons might be. there's some obvious reasons for some states like saudi arabia in particular, they wouldn't settle

christians, wouldn't give them citizenship but it's a much broader reason than that. notions of the kind of la largee that citizens are accorded in the states. if syrians were afforded citizenship, the tribal loyalties to the center, if you granted citizenship to large numbers of people outside those kinds of communities there might be questions about whether the traditional loyalty and social systems would withstand the strain. there is a multireplies advertise of reasons we can guess at but there's actually been no reasons articulated by the gulf states as to why they refuse to resettle refugees which makes it difficult to determine the real region. >> roger here we are trying to understand the resettlement of refugees, and u.k. has been

criticized, u.s., australia, those countries have been put to shame aren't they of the example being set by germany. >> well, no country, most of the countries that you spoke about, australia and the united states, for instance, are too of the three largest resettlement countries, canada being the other. so in terms of global responsibility for resettling refugees i think the west is doing and has done at least its fair share if not more over the years. certainly, any kind of numbers that are taken in, syrian refugees is just a drop in the ocean. because there are so many syrian refugees. what we need to do to fix the syrian refugee cries sis to have a political solution in syria. settlinsettling the refugee isss

never going to settle the issue in iran. throughout the day on al jazeera we'll have a discussion of the syrian refugees crisis, 12:00 gmt here on al jazeera. ruling party for 50 years, won 83 out of 89 seats in shanghai, opposition candidates taking the other 6. more from rob mcbryde in singapore. >> this has been a big result for rule pap party, also a sense of relief after the excitement of having to face battles across each constituency in singapore which they haven't had to before. they have presented themselves as the party of experience, when

put up with the wealth of inexperience has been very telling i think with the voters. for their part, the opposition can argue that this is part of their long term strategy of changing the political landscape here. they made big gains in parliament back in 2011. largely over unpopular policies that were in place back then. as if the government has done a lot to change since then, on for example housing and immigration. sadly for opposition, those policies seem to have worked with the electorate winning back a lot of support that the government had lost. >> police officers from across the united states will hold their biggest training exercise in california this weekend. they'll simulate emergency scenarios and test emergency equipment. after debate whether police forces have become to

militarized, shihab rattansi went along to see. >> hostage situations or terrorist attacks it's clear that some of the weaponry for sale here can be used for other purposes. >> most of the riot and most of the problem the police have is not crowd. it is one guy of the thousand one guy out of the group that is causing the problem wants to take that person out. >> some police forces to bring out their military hardware but there was little controversy here about the use of that equipment. >> safety for citizens or officers. >> it has a defense capability right? >> no guns on it at all. it has a turret, open up the turret up top and if you had to you could fire. >> use of military fire is a complex issue. >> the point you're bringing does that tend to incite people, yes it does. >> with the use of an armored

vehicle that's bad right? >> not necessarily. what's causing, what came first the chicken or the egg? >> police fatalities are considerably lower than 20 years ago yet coorld t according to te washington post the number killed is higher than 1976 and still three months to go. those protesting against urban shield feel their message is not getting through. >> a lot of the reasons why black people are getting murdered by police, they are so quick to respond and it is an emergency situation and that's why we end up dead. >> on close inspection there was some awareness of the debate underway outside. shihab rattansi, tactical exercise, california. friday was a day of upsets at the u.s. open. both of the women's top seeds were knocked out.

serena williams dreams of calendar year grand slam was dashed by unseeded roberta vin vinci. >> the world number 43 was overcome with emotion after upsetting the world's best. in the first set though, it appeared that serena williams power would be too difficult for vinci to cope with. she lost the opener 6-2. but the 32-year-old italian refused to give up and broke early in the second set and forced a deciding third set. ran to every corner and got the crucial break in the seventh game.

[cheering and applause] >> she moved on to clench the set ending williams run of 33 consecutive grand slam victories and the chance of a calendar year grand slam. >> i don't want to talk about how disappointing it is for me. if you have any other questions i'm open for that. >> how did she play? >> i thought she played the best tennis of her career. she's 33 and she's going for it at a late age. >> in the first semi final it was clavia panetta who shocked the crowd and her opponent. started and never recovered. panetta hitting 33 winners to take out the march 6-1, 6-3 in just 59 minutes. >> i mean it's amazing because also 20 days ago my physioasked

me if i could be in a final in grand slam and i said no. >> it's an all italian affair in the women's final. mark graham, al jazeera. the nuclear agreement that iran signed with the united states and five other world powers is a big complicated deal that's taken years to arrive at and some people as i'm sure you've gleaned really hate it. the bottom line is if government of iran has agreed to slow down its nuclear program dramatically in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions. i spent two weeks in iran as the details of this deal were being