Girl, 7, killed after elephant throws a rock at her head

One of the elephants in the enclosure from which a rock was hurled that killed a young girl

A young girl has died at zoo in Morocco in a freak incident where an elephant "threw" a rock from its enclosure, hitting her on the head.

The seven-year-old was in front of the enclosure when the elephant used its trunk to toss the rock towards her.

Members of the public attempted to help the girl, who can be seen in a graphic video recorded and posted on social media, lying unconscious on the floor outside the enclosure with blood around her head.

A rock on the floor outside the elephant enclosure

She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

A statement from Rabat Zoo in the north-west of the country confirmed a seven-year-old girl died in the incident, and said: "In these painful circumstances, zoo staff express their condolences to the family of the deceased and joins in their pain."

The zoo defended its safety procedures saying the enclosure meets "international standards required", and that similar accidents have occurred at attractions around the world, including Disney World Orlando and Cincinnati Zoo in the US.