Morocco\u2019s deadliest earthquake in decades has killed more than 1,000 people, authorities said on Saturday, as troops and emergency services scrambled to reach remote mountain villages where casualties are still feared trapped. Updated interior ministry figures on Saturday showed the quake killed at least 1,037 people, the vast majority in Al-Haouz, the epicentre, and Taroudant provinces. Another 1,204 people were injured, including 721 in critical condition, the ministry said. The 6.8-magnitude quake struck the mountainous area 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at 11:11pm (10:11pm GMT) on Friday, the US Geological Survey reported. With strong tremors also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira, the quake caused widespread damage and sent terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night. \u201cI was nearly asleep when I heard the doors and the shutters banging,\u201d said Ghannou Najem, a Casablanca resident in her 80s who was visiting Marrakesh when the quake hit. \u201cI went outside in a panic. I thought I was going to die alone.\u201d Read more:\u00a0Morocco earthquake toll tops 600 as rescue operation begins In the mountain village of Moulay Brahim near the quake\u2019s epicentre, rescue teams searched for survivors in the rubble of collapsed houses while residents began digging graves for the dead on a nearby hill, AFP correspondents reported. The army set up a field hospital in the village and deployed \u201csignificant human and logistical resources\u201d to support the rescue operation, state news agency MAP reported. It was the strongest-ever quake to hit the North African kingdom, and one expert described it as the region\u2019s \u201cbiggest in more than 120 years\u201d. \u201cWhere destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough\u2026 so many collapse, resulting in high casualties,\u201d said Bill McGuire, professor emeritus at Britain\u2019s University College London. Civil defence Colonel Hicham Choukri, who is heading relief operations, told state television that the epicentre and strength of the earthquake have created \u201can exceptional emergency situation\u201d. \u201cWe felt a very violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake,\u201d Abdelhak El Amrani, a 33-year-old in Marrakesh, told AFP by telephone. \u201cI could see buildings moving. We don\u2019t 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.\u201c \u201cThe power went out for 10 minutes, and so did the (telephone) network, but then it came back on,\u201d he added. \u201cEveryone decided to stay outside.\u201d FO reaches out to embassy in Rabat Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: \u201cThe people and Government of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the Kingdom of Morocco and express their heartfelt sympathies and condolences at the tragic loss of lives in yesterday\u2019s earthquake.\u201d She added that Pakistan has also conveyed \u201cour offer of assistance to Morocco\u201d and that \u201cour embassy in Rabat has reached out to the Pakistani community to inquire about their safety\u201d. \u201cAs per initial reports, all Pakistani nationals are safe,\u201d she added. \u201cWe will continue to monitor the situation to facilitate them in the wake of this tragedy.\u201d In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Pakistani embassy in Morocco said that Ambassador Hamid Asghar Khan, officers, staff and the Pakistani community there expressed their deepest condolences and were \u201cready to assist in any manner required\u201d. Khan, Pakistan\u2019s diplomat there, also reiterated Baloch\u2019s statement: \u201cThus far Pakistanis in Morocco are reported safe amidst devastation claiming over 800 lives. \u201cThe government of Pakistan stands by ready to assist as required,\u201d he added. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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