The death toll from a strong earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night has risen to 820, said the country’s Interior Ministry on Saturday.
The earthquake also injured at least 672, according to the latest update from the ministry.
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco Friday at 11.11 p.m. local time (2211 GMT) at a depth of 18.5 km, said the U.S. Geological Survey.
The epicentre of the earthquake was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, about 70 km southwest of Marrakesh.
Many cities across Morocco, including Rabat and Casablanca felt the earthquake. Many houses collapsed in the cities of Taroudant and Marrakesh, local media reported.
The earthquake damaged many buildings in the old city of Marrakesh, the nearest big city to the epicentre.
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Residents spent the night in open spaces for fear of aftershocks, Zhang Kai, a Chinese national, living in Marrakesh said.
Xinhua correspondents at Ouarzazate, about 190 kilometres southeast of Marrakesh, saw residents taking shelter in open spaces after the earthquake.
“There have been earthquakes before, but none of them were as strong as this one,” said a resident in Ouarzazate, who requires anonymity.
On the way from Ouarzazate to the epicentre, rocks and rubbles from the mountains and buildings scattered along the road.
Authorities have sent rescuers to the quake-hit areas to search for survivors, local media reported. (Xinhua)
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