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A powerful earthquake struck Morocco\u2019s High Atlas mountains late on Friday, killing at least 296 people, destroying buildings and sending residents of major cities rushing from their homes.<\/p>\n
The Interior Ministry said the number constituted a preliminary death toll and that 153 people had been injured. A local official said most deaths were in mountain areas that were hard to reach.<\/p>\n
Residents of Marrakech, the nearest big city to the epicentre, said some buildings had collapsed in the old city, a Unesco World Heritage site, and local television showed pictures of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.<\/p>\n
Pan-Arab al-Arabiya<\/em> news channel reported that five people were killed from one family, citing unnamed local sources.<\/p>\n Montasir Itri, a resident of the mountain village of Asni near the epicentre, said most houses there were damaged.<\/p>\n \u201cOur neighbours are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Further west, near Taroudant, teacher Hamid Afkar said he had fled his home and there had been aftershocks following the initial quake.<\/p>\n \u201cThe earth shook for about 20 seconds. Doors opened and shut by themselves as I rushed downstairs from the second floor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Morocco\u2019s geophysical centre said the quake struck in the Ighil area of the High Atlas with a magnitude of 7.2. The US Geological Survey put the quake\u2019s magnitude at 6.8 and said it was at a relatively shallow depth of 18.5 km (11.5 miles).<\/p>\n Ighil, a mountainous area with small farming villages, is about 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Marrakech. The quake struck just after 11pm. (2200 GMT).<\/p>\n In Marrakech, some houses in the tightly packed old city had collapsed and people were working hard by hand to remove debris while they waited for heavy equipment, said resident Id Waaziz Hassan.<\/p>\n Footage of the medieval city wall showed big cracks in one section and parts that had fallen, with rubble lying on the street.<\/p>\n Another Marrakech resident, Brahim Himmi, said he saw ambulances coming out of the old town and many building facades damaged. He said people were frightened and were staying outside in case of another quake.<\/p>\n \u201cThe chandelier fell from the ceiling and I ran out. I\u2019m still in the road with my children and we\u2019re scared,\u201d said Houda Hafsi, 43, in Marrakech.<\/p>\n Marrakech damage<\/h2>\n