At least 41 people have been killed and 72 have been injured after a minaret collapsed during crowded morning prayers in Morocco.
The structure and part of the ceiling buckled into the courtyard of the 16th-century Bab Berdieyinne in the historic city of Meknes.
Officials say heavy rain was to blame for the incident which happened as worshippers were about to perform the Friday prayer.
Devastation: Emergency workers remove the remains of the collapsed minaret
Rescue operation: Workers carry injured worshippers along the pedestrianised streets of Meknes after the incident at the Bab Berdieyinne Mosque on Friday
According to a statement released by the Interior Ministry, King Mohammed VI sent the interior and religious affairs ministers to the scene to ;supervise rescue operations and enquire after the conditions of the injured.
Officials also visited some of the victims in hospitals in the city, as the monarch ordered the re-building of the mosque as soon as possible.
The more seriously injured were taken for treatment in the nearby city of Fes. A team of psychologists was also sent.
Death toll: 41 people were killed in the incident and 72 people were injured
Old town: The mosque, seen left, was built four centuries ago. It is thought that the minaret and ceiling buckled due to heavy rainfall
The rescue operation has been hampered as the old town of Meknes 120 kilometres east of the capital Rabat - is a pedestrian zone.
The mosque was built four centuries ago under Sultan Moulay Ismail, who made Meknes his capital.
More heavy rain is expected next week.
Chaos: The incident happened as the mosque was packed with worshippers ready for morning prayers on Friday
Resuce operations have been hampered as the old town is pedestrianised, meaning the streets are too narrow to accommodate emergency vehicles
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