Rabat – A mouse is said to have caused panic among hundreds of worshippers who were attending Taraweeh (post-Isha) prayers in the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca on Monday night, causing upheaval among those in attendance.
Hundreds of worshippers began shouting and screaming as they rushed outside the mosque after hearing screams from women’s area.
According to eye-witnesses, thousands of worshippers were performing Taraweeh prayers in an extreme reverence when dozens of women began panicking and running out of the mosque.
The sound of women’s screams was so loud that it reached the men’s space in the mosque, prompting many men to rush outside the mosque in panic and fear.
Worshippers fled the mosque, thinking that a bomb was about to explode, according to an eye-witness.
While local authorities haven’t yet officially revealed the true reason for the panic, multiple media reports suggest that a mouse was behind the incident.
The mouse allegedly jumped on a woman’s foot while she was praying. The woman was reportedly terrorized and rushed outside the mosque in a panic while she was yelling.
A police officer who was in the mosque when the incident occurred told Alyaoum24 that other women were scared and also fled the mosque while screaming, causing an uproar.
Pictures and footage showing worshippers rushing outside the mosque have been posted on Facebook since last night, and were widely shared.
Over 34 people fainted due to the stampede, while at least one person was injured.
Every night during Ramadan, Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca hosts hundreds of thousands of Moroccans from Casablanca and elsewhere.
Edited by Timothy Filla
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