At least 55 people have been killed in a fire at a mattress factory in the Moroccan coastal city of Casablanca, police say.

Twelve others, including a police officer, were seriously injured in the blaze which broke out on Saturday morning on the ground floor of the building where about 150 people are employed.

More than 100 firefighters were needed to bring the blaze under control.

A number of people remain missing.

The cause of the fire, in the Lissasfa section of Casablanca, was not immediately known, but state media has reported that an investigation is under way.

PHOTO CAPTION

A general view of the city of Casablanca.

Al-Jazeera