Powerful Morocco earthquake kills thousands of people

Morocco's deadliest earthquake in decades has killed thousands of people, authorities said Saturday, causing widespread damage and sending terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night. The 7.0-magnitude quake struck a mountainous area 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT) Friday. 'I was nearly asleep when I heard the doors and the shutters banging,' said Ghannou Najem, a Casablanca resident in her 80s who was visiting Marrakesh when the quake hit. 'I went outside in a panic. I thought I was going to die alone.' It is the strongest-ever quake to hit the North African kingdom, and one expert described it as the region's 'biggest in more than 120 years'. 'Where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough... so many collapse, resulting in high casualties,' said Bill McGuire, professor emeritus at Britain's University College London. The strongest-ever quake to hit the country has killed at least 2,012 people and injured over 2,059, many of them critically, according to the latest official figures. The ministry also recorded deaths in Ouarzazate, Chichaoua, Azilal and Youssoufia provinces, as well as in Marrakesh, Agadir and the Casablanca area. Faisal Badour, an engineer, said he felt the quake three times in his building in Marrakesh. 'There are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake,' he said. 'The screaming and crying was unbearable.' In Moulay Brahim village, in the mountains of Al-Haouz province near the quake's epicentre, rescuers were searching for survivors in the rubble of collapsed houses, AFP correspondents reported. On a nearby hill, residents began digging graves for the victims, the correspondents said. Frenchman Michael Bizet, 43, who owns three traditional riad houses in Marrakesh's old town, told AFP that he was in bed when the quake struck. 'I thought my bed was going to fly away. I went out into the street half-naked and immediately went to see my riads. It was total chaos, a real catastrophe, madness,' he said. Footage on social media showed part of a minaret collapsed on Jemaa el-Fna square in the historic city. An AFP correspondent saw hundreds of people flocking to the square to spend the night for fear of aftershocks, some with blankets while others slept on the ground. Mimi Theobold, 25, a tourist from England, said she was with friends on a restaurant terrace when the tables began shaking and plates went flying. Houda Outassaf, a local resident, said she was 'still in shock' after feeling the earth shake beneath her feet -- and losing relatives. The interior ministry said authorities have 'mobilised all the necessary resources to intervene and help the affected areas'. The regional blood transfusion centre in Marrakesh called on residents to donate blood for those injured. The army has set up a field hospital in Moulay Brahim and deployed 'significant human and logistical resources' to support search and rescue efforts in Al-Haouz, state news agency MAP said.

Powerful Morocco earthquake kills thousands of people

Thousands of people were killed and thousands of others injured following a powerful earthquake that struck Morocco. Fatalities from the magnitude 7.0 quake occurred in various regions, including Al Haouz and Marrakesh provinces, as well as the cities of Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.