Moroccan mosque collapse kills 11 people

At least 11 people have been killed after a mosque minaret collapsed in the central

Moroccan town of Meknes, the interior ministry says.

Dozens of people were injured in the accident at the Berdieyinne mosque in Meknes' old

city during Friday prayers.
A doctor at the scene told Reuters news agency he had counted 13 corpses as they

were being pulled out by rescuers.
Up to 80 people were reportedly trapped beneath the rubble. The minaret is said to have

been four centuries old.
A local resident, Khaled Rahmouni, told Reuters that about 300 worshippers had

gathered inside the mosque for Friday afternoon prayers.

"When the imam was about to start his sermon, the minaret went down," he said.

Observers say that while neglected buildings in the old quarters of Morocco's cities

collapse fairly often, the fall of a minaret is rare.

BBC