The deathtoll from the collapse of a minaret in a historic mosque has reached at least 40 people, injuring 71 others, in the central Moroccan city of Meknes, a local official said Saturday.
Officials blamed the accident on heavy rain that had weakened the minaret at the Bab Berdieyinne Mosque, according to a statement released by the Interior Ministry.
The BBC reported that a local resident, Khaled Rahmouni, told Reuters around 300 worshippers had gathered inside the mosque for Friday prayers.
"When the imam was about to start his sermon, the minaret fell down," the man said.
King Mohammed VI sent the interior minister and religious affairs minister to Meknes, a UNESCO heritage city and one of Morocco's four imperial cities, some 120 kilometres (62 miles) east of the capital Rabat.
The officials visited some of the injured at hospitals in Meknes. The more seriously injured were taken to hospitals in the nearby city of Fes. A team of psychologists was also sent.
"The minaret and part of the roof fell on the congregation, which had gathered for the weekly prayer," a resident said.
Television pictures showed hundreds of locals scrambling to clear the debris in a desperate search for survivors.
Rescuers worked with shovels -- and some with their bare hands -- while others formed human chains to carry away rubble from the site of the disaster.
"Apart from the Friday prayers, the faithful were also offering funeral prayers for a deceased person whose body was inside the mosque," a local official said.
MAP, citing official sources, said earlier that hospitals had already released 51 people, but were still treating 20 injured victims.
The king has ordered the reconstruction of the mosque, which was built four centuries ago under Sultan Moulay Ismail, who made Meknes his capital.
Heavy rain battered the city Friday, and more rain has been forecast for the next week.
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