The death toll from the collapse of a mosque minaret during a Friday prayer in northern Morocco rose to 41, a civil protection official told the Chinese Xinhua news agency on Saturday (February 20, 2010).
The minaret and part of the ceiling of the 16th-century Khnata bent Bekkar mosque -- also known as Bab Berdieyinne -- in the old city of Meknes broke down onto the courtyard when worshippers were about to perform the Friday prayer.
The number of injured people also rose to 72, Meknes civil protection chief al-Elwi al-Ismaili said.
According to the state-run MAP news agency, King Mohammed VI of Morocco sent Interior and Islamic Affairs ministers to the scene to "supervise rescue operations and inquire after the conditions of the injured." Officials say the collapse was caused by heavy rains that hit Morocco over the past several days.
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