Meknes Mosque Collapses

All afternoon long, we heard sirens from the house. I didn't remember hearing sirens more than a handful of times since I arrived, so the repeated passings of ambulances seemed out of place.

A Moroccan friend of mine came by this evening, and so we asked him if he knew what was up.

"You haven't heard?!? A mosque collapsed in the medina."

Later, we looked it up online. Sure enough, the international news was covering the story.

At least 36 people were killed in Morocco when a minaret collapsed at a mosque in the central town of Meknes, officials say.

More than 60 people were injured in the accident at the Berdieyinne mosque in Meknes' old city during Friday prayers, according to Moroccan state television.

The TV report said that the collapse came after heavy rains which lashed the region for several days.

The minaret is said to have been four centuries old.

Many people are said to be buried under the rubble of the collapsed tower.