RABAT, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Death toll from a partial collapse of a mosque during a Friday prayer in Morocco rose to 25, a civil protection official told Xinhua.

The minaret and part of the ceiling of the 16th-century Khnata bent Bekkar mosque in the northern 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 50, Meknes civil protection chief al-Elwi al-Ismaili said.

The rescue operation is still ongoing, the official added.

Official reports said medical teams rushed to the mosque, located near Bab Baradein district in the old city of Meknes, to provide medical care for the wounded.

Pan-Arab al-Jazeera TV earlier reported that seven people were killed and 47 others injured by the mosque collapse in the North African country.