Somalia mosque collapses kills 15 in Mogadishu

Image captionThe incident happened in Mogadishu, the country's capital

A mosque under refurbishment has collapsed in Somalia, killing at least 15 people and injuring 40.

It happened during Friday prayers as the building, in the capital Mogadishu, was packed with worshippers.

Hundreds of people are reported to have been inside the building when it collapsed and some are still believed to be trapped under the rubble.

An engineer on the refurbishment project has been arrested on suspicion of negligence, local media report.

Some media outlets report that worshippers were at prayer, while others say more than 100 people were pouring a concrete foundation after prayers when the structure collapsed.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThe Somali government controls Mogadishu and other cities, but militants from the al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab dominate many rural areas

Most of the dead were construction workers, the privately-owned Radio Shabelle reported.

The state-owned Somali National News Agency said the incident took place in Dayniile district.

Country profile: Somalia

Heavy rains have fallen on the area over the past few days.

The Somali government controls Mogadishu and other cities, but militants from the al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab dominate many rural areas.

More than 22,000 African Union soldiers and police are deployed in the country to protect the government.

Source: BBC NEWS