At least 41 people have been killed and 80 more injured after a minaret collapsed at a mosque in northern Morocco.
The accident occurred during Friday prayers in the historic city of Meknes.
Interior ministry officials blamed the incident on heavy rain that had weakened the minaret at the Bab Berdieyinne mosque.
Heavy rain battered the city on Friday, and more rain has been forecast for the next week.
Slow rescue operation
Alaoui Ismaili, a local civil defence commander, said the rescue operation was slow because of the narrow streets in the old city medina district where the collapsed mosque minaret is located.
"We are using only manpower, not equipment as we cannot bring heavy equipment through these streets," he said.
"We are moving with great cautiousness also because the walls of houses and shops adjacent to the mosque are fragile especially after the heavy rains of the past days," Ismaili said.
Khaled Rahmouni, a Meknes, whose home is near the mosque told the Reuters news agency: "About 300 worshippers gathered inside the mosque for the Friday afternoon mass prayers. When the imam (preacher) was about to start his sermon, the minaret went down."
The lightly injured were hospitalised in Meknes while those with serious injuries were taken to Fes, 60km north of the town, state television station said.
King Mohammed VI sent the interior minister and religious affairs minister to Meknes, about 120km east of the capital, Rabat, to visit the injured and supervise the rescue operations.
The king also ordered the reconstruction of the minaret "keeping to its original form", the interior ministry statement said.
Neglected buildings in the old quarters of the country's cities collapse fairly often, but the fall of a minaret is rare.
Last edited by S<Chowdhury; 02-20-2010 at 01:14 PM.
To my Akh's tryin to stay on their deen
It gets mean especially when u stay on the scene
And at the same try to stay out of trouble
But don't forget the blessing's in the struggle...
You gotta stay on your salats, your zakats, your Quran
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41 dead in Morocco minaret collapse
May Allah SWT make it easy for them and if Allah Wills I'll remember it in my dua
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