Elephant kills 7-year-old girl by launching a rock at her head with its trunk

'This kind of accident is rare, unpredictable and unusual' zoo spokesperson says

A schoolgirl has died after she was hit on the head by a rock launched by an elephant at a zoo in Morocco.

The seven-year-old had been standing with her family beside the animal's enclosure at the zoo in the capital of Rabat when the elephant picked up the large stone with its trunk and hurled it into the air.

She was hit in the back of the head, knocked unconscious and later died in hospital.

Mobile phone footage taken by a bystander shows the aftermath of the accident.

The girl can be seen lying on the ground, surrounded by her family as she is treated by staff. The video also shows the large stone responsible for her death lying on the ground outside the enclosure.

A spokesman for the zoo offered his condolences to the girl's family but said the elephant enclosure met international standards.

"This kind of accident is rare, unpredictable and unusual," the spokesman said in a press release.

“Accidents of this nature happen in international zoos, most recently in Disney World Orlando and the Cincinnati Zoo in the United States.”

The accident is the first to befall the zoo since it opened in January 2012.