QUAKE HORROR
MOROCCO woke up to devastating damage this morning following a major 7.2-magnitude earthquake - making it one of the deadliest disasters the country has seen for over 120 years.
More than 2,000 people are dead and 2,059 are injured after the monster tremor struck just after 11pm local time on Friday.
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People were sent fleeing in terror from buildings, and those who could not escape were killed as houses collapsed in the quake in Morocco.
The shaking lasted several seconds and a 4.9-magnitude aftershock was recorded 19 minutes later.
The city of Marrakesh was shaken - but the villages in the country's remote High Atlas mountains bore the brute of the devastation.
Morroco is also popular with tourists - with the country welcoming some 700,000 Brits every year.
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One UK holidaymaker caught up in the tragic disaster told The Sun Online: "We are at a resort, everyone has been evacuated out of the hotel, the property is damaged".
They also explained how they are currently being told to stay outside due to the aftershocks of the deadly earthquake.
One more Brit whose sister is currently stranded in Marrakesh revealed that the streets are now lined with people, as old townhouses continue to crumble around her.
"She said the buildings are shaking and swaying, the old town has been completely demolished".
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He also stated that his sister had been advised by the local authority to prepare for a potential second earthquake as "rows and rows and rows" of people line the street in hopes of finding safety.
The quake's epicenter was in the High Atlas Mountains, just over 40 miles south of Marrakesh, according to the US Geological Survey.
The epicenter was also near Oukaimeden, a popular ski resort, and Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa.
In the village of Amizmiz near the epicenter rescue workers picked through rubble with their bare hands.
"When I felt the earth shaking beneath my feet and the house leaning, I rushed to get my kids out. But my neighbours couldn't," said Mohamed Azaw.
"Unfortunately no one was found alive in that family. The father and son were found dead and they are still looking for the mother and the daughter."
In the hours after the quake, Morocco's Interior Ministry said there are fears that the number of dead will continue to rise.
Many of the victims were in and south of Marrakesh.
Street camera footage in Marrakesh showed the moment the earth began to shake, as men suddenly looked around and jumped up, and others ran for shelter into an alleyway and then fled as dust and debris tumbled around them.
In Marrakesh, where 13 people were confirmed dead, residents spent the night in the open - afraid to go home.
Injured people filtered into Marrakesh from the surrounding areas seeking treatment.
Montasir Itri, a resident of the village of Asni near the epicentre, said most houses there were damaged.
"Our neighbours are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village," he said.
Further west, near Taroudant, teacher Hamid Afkar said he had fled his home and felt aftershocks.
"The earth shook for about 20 seconds. Doors opened and shut by themselves as I rushed downstairs from the second floor," he said.
In Marrakesh, residents described desperate scenes as people fled for safety.
"I still cant sleep in the house because of the shock and also because the old town is made up of old houses," said Jaouhari Mohamed, an old city resident.
The British foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has said the UK is supporting British nationals after the quake.
"Devastating news of a substantial earthquake just outside Marrakesh, Morocco.
"The UK is continuing to support British nationals in the region. We stand ready to help our Moroccan friends in whatever way we can".
There are also smaller mountain towns closer to the epicenter that officials have not yet shared updates on.
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World leaders across the globe have offered their support to Morocco, with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to write: "Extremely pained by the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco.
"In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the people of Morocco.
"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest.
"India is ready to offer all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time".
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also offered his condolences to the relatives of the earthquake victims.
“All my solidarity and support to the people of Morocco in the wake of this terrible earthquake... Spain is with the victims of this tragedy and its families,” he wrote on X.
Buildings and historical landmarks have been reduced to rubble with photos showing bricks covering cars and streets.
Parts of the red walls surrounding the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have been damaged, according to CBS News.
However, the ministry said that most of the damage was recorded outside of towns and cities.
Officials are continuing to examine the extent of the destruction.
People were seen fleeing restaurants and buildings as the quake hit.
"I could see buildings moving," Abdelhak El Amrani told the Agence France-Presse.
"We don't necessarily have the reflexes for this type of situation. Then I went outside and there were a lot of people there. People were all in shock and panic.
"The children were crying and the parents were distraught."
Crowds stood in the street instead of retreating inside in case it was unsafe.
Most houses in the mountain village of Asni near the epicenter were damaged, Montasir Itri, a local resident, told Reuters.
“Our neighbours are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village,” he said.
Tremors were also felt further west near Taroudant, where a resident said he was forced to flee his home while aftershocks followed the initial quake, according to Reuters.
“The earth shook for about 20 seconds. Doors opened and shut by themselves as I rushed downstairs from the second floor,” teacher Hamid Afkar told Reuters.
Meanwhile, local media reported that rescue efforts were slowed by traffic jams on roads leading to the mountain region as the streets around the epicenter were blocked with collapsed rock.
The earthquake, a relatively rare occurrence in North Africa, was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria.
About 20 million people may have likely felt shaking from the earthquake in Morocco, with over 2 million experiencing strong to very strong shaking, earthquake geologist Wendy Bohon posted on X, citing the US Geological Survey’s Pager system.
The US Geological Survey’s Pager system, which provides preliminary assessments on the impact of earthquakes, has also now issued a red alert for economic losses, stating that extensive damage is probable and the disaster is likely widespread.
Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response, according to the US government agency.
Morocco tourist officials have predicted that the number of British tourists visiting the country is likely to reach one million in the years ahead, as the UK is the second largest source of tourists in the kingdom after France.
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Morocco experienced another devastating earthquake in 2004, when at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured in Al Hoceima in the northeastern portion of the country.
And in 1980, a 7.3-magnitude quake hit neighboring Algeria, killing 2,500 and leaving 300,000 homeless.
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