Morocco earthquake: Agonising race against time to find survivors begins as death toll rises to 820 while rescuers trawl through rubble in Marrakesh after devastating 7.2 magnitude quake

A desperate search for survivors is underway this morning following Morocco's biggest earthquake in over 120 years that struck south of Marrakesh last night, killing at least 820 people and leaving more than 670 injured.

Horrific footage shared on social media showed a massive cloud of dust rising in Marrakesh - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and hugely popular tourist town - as buildings collapsed and people fled for their lives. 

The earthquake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Morocco's Atlas Mountains and caused tremors as far away as Portugal, has wiped out entire families as witnesses describe hearing 'unbearable screaming and crying' and seeing distraught relatives frantically search with their bare hands for buried loved ones.

British tourists stuck in Marrakech have told MailOnline how they escaped the 'terrifying' tremor, and described taking cover under tables and sleeping on the floor outside their hotels. 

In a statement this morning a Moroccan government official said emergency operations are 'in progress across the country' and the death toll is expected to rise considerably in the hours and days ahead.

Have you been impacted by the Moroccan earthquake? If safe to do so, email [email protected] 

People search the rubble of a damaged building with the help of an excavator following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Marrakesh

A man walks with his belongings through the rubble in an alleyway in the earthquake-damaged old city in Marrakesh

A woman is devastated as she sees her earthquake-damaged house in Marrakesh

Many of the older buildings in Marrakesh were completely destroyed overnight

Residents evacuate through the rubble in the earthquake-damaged old city of Marrakesh

Rescue workers search for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province

Rescuers carry a search operation following the powerful earthquake, in Amizmiz

No identities of victims were released as initial figures rose from 300 to 820 overnight. The epicentre was 40 miles south of the tourist city, which is a popular British holiday destination.

The ministry wrote that most damage occurred outside of cities and towns, and the United States Geological Survey warned that the death toll was likely to rise significantly, because rural buildings were not built to sustain such earthquakes. 

Those in the city posted videos showing buildings reduced to rubble and dust, and parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city in Marrakesh damaged. 

Other footage shows rescue attempts are well underway, with locals helping to try and free those trapped using their bare hands. 

In the village of Amizmiz, some 40 miles south of Marrakech, rescue workers picked through the rubble.

'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.'

About 20 men including firefighters and soldiers in fatigues stood atop the ruin of a house in Amizmiz as they tried to remove rubble, bits of carpet and furniture protruding from gaps between pancaked concrete floors.

There are warnings the strong quake means it will take time to reach mountain villages and other smaller settlements outside of Morocco's cities, meaning the true extent of the damage and people harmed remains unknown. 

Search and rescue teams are facing tricky conditions as they try and save lives of those crushed under rubble

Rescue workers search for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province

Many buildings remain standing in Marrakesh, but are still at risk of collapse

Rescuers carry out searches in hard-hit areas of Marrakesh on Saturday

A pottery shop faces its own clean up operation after the quake caused much of its stock to fall to the ground

The Interior Ministry urged calm, saying in its televised statement on the death toll that the quake had hit the provinces of Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant. Officials added that most of those killed will be in hard to reach settlements outside of the cities.

The British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has advised tourists to follow local media and safety instructions from local authorities, adding that anyone in the UK concerned about a loved one abroad can call the office on 020 7008 5000.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak released a statement which said: 'My thoughts are with everyone affected by the terrible earthquake in Morocco last night. The UK stands ready to support our Moroccan friends.'

Abderrahim Ait Daoud, head of the town of Talat N'Yaaqoub, said authorities are working to clear roads in Al Haouz Province to allow passage for ambulances and aid to populations affected, but said large distances between mountain villages mean it will take time to learn the extent of the damage.

The Moroccan military and emergency services mobilized aid efforts to the areas hit by damages, local media reported that roads leading to the mountain region around the epicenter were jammed with vehicles and blocked with collapsed rocks, slowing rescue efforts.

Al Haouz is known for scenic High Atlas landscapes and Amazigh villages built into mountainsides.

Later Saturday morning in Marrakesh, ambulances and motorcycles whirred by the edge of the old city, where business as usual mostly resumed Saturday morning. 

A group of women and children take shelter after the earthquake drove them from their homes

A damaged car is pictured on the streets of Marrakesh on Saturday morning

A man carries his belongings through the rubble in the old city area of Marrakesh on Saturday morning

Civil protection members search for survivors buried in the rubble

Damage in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco

Vehicles caught up in the debris were left completely destroyed

Some of the cities oldest buildings have completely collapsed - but it is warned that smaller settlements closest to the epicentre will have been worst-hit

A historic mosque in Marrakesh was left badly damaged by the quake, which hit at just after 11pm on Friday

Whole streets were covered in piles of rubble on Saturday morning

A group sits amongst collapsed buildings in the aftermath of the earthquake as recovery efforts begin

Moroccans raced to donate blood for those injured after the devastating quake

Rescue efforts are underway in the country as hundreds require medical attention

A digger is pictured arriving in one of the areas of Marrakesh which has seen severe damage

Two people shelter at a store front rather than risking sleeping in their homes in Marrakesh

A digger is seen at a property as rescue efforts got underway in Marrakesh

Children walk amongst the debris caused by the earthquake on Saturday

A view of a severely damaged building close to Marrakesh

Tourists at some Marrakesh hotels slept outside on sunbeds following the earthquake

Tourists and passersby navigated roadblocks and snapped photos of sections of the clay ochre wall that had cracked, spilling fragments and dust onto the sidewalk and street.

A mosque minaret has also fallen in Jemaa al-Fna Square, the heart of Marrakesh's old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Montasir Itri, a resident of the mountain 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.

Elsewhere urgent supplies were seen being loaded onto trucks by the Civil Defence department, ready for distribution to those in need. 

Tourists and others posted videos of people screaming and evacuating restaurants in the city as throbbing club music played.

Reports on damage and any casualties often take time to filter in after many earthquakes, particularly those that hit in the middle of the night.

Rather than return to concrete buildings, men, women and children stayed out in the streets worried about aftershocks and other reverberations that could cause their homes to sway.

Frenchman Michael Bizet, 43, shared footage of collapsed buildings in the ancient centre of Marrakech, where he runs three riad holiday homes.

Recalling being woken up by the quake, Mr Bizet said: '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 – absolute madness.'

Mr Bizet's images showed damage to the world famous Jemaa el-Fna square, which draws thousands of tourists every year.

Hamid Afkir, a teacher who lives closed to the epicentre, near Taroudant, said: 'The earth shook for about twenty seconds. Doors opened and shut by themselves as I rushed downstairs from the second floor of my house. There were aftershocks too.'

Reports on damage and any casualties often take time to filter in after many earthquakes, particularly those that hit in the middle of the night

Photos from Saturday morning showed buildings across Marrakesh with severe damage

At least 820 people are known to have died, with at least 672 injured

Many of Marrakesh's historic buildings have been badly damaged or totally destroyed

Cars were left buried under mountains of rubble as Moroccans tried to come to terms with the severity of the quake

Piles of rubble were left in the historic city of Marrakesh following the earthquake

Among those staying in the open at a square in Marrakesh on Friday night were the elderly and children

Residents of Ouarzazate, in the Atlas Mountains, are pictured in the streets after the earthquake on Friday night

Authorities say most of the dead are in smaller towns and villages high in the mountains

The 7.2 magnitude quake toppled buildings and left rubble strewn around the city

Dust clouds rose into the air across the city during and after the 7.2 magnitude quake

Supplies for those in need are packed into a Civil Protection truck following the quake

And Mohammed Hassan, a Marrakesh resident, said: 'Houses collapsed, and people were trying to remove rubble by hand, so as to try and rescue people.

'It took a while for the emergency services to arrive with digging equipment. People were very scared.'

Houda Outassaf, a local resident, said he was walking around the square when the ground began to shake.

'It was a truly staggering sensation. We're safe and sound, but I'm still in shock,' he said.

'I have at least 10 members of my family who died... I can hardly believe it, as I was with them no more than two days ago.'

Fayssal Badour, another Marrakesh resident, said he was driving when the earthquake hit.

'I stopped and realized what a disaster it was. It was very serious, as if a river had burst its banks. The screaming and crying was unbearable,' he said.

British holidaymakers are among those caught up in the quake's aftermath.

Debra Wilton told MailOnline she arrived at the Rui Tikida Garden Hotel in Marrakesh two hours before the quake hit and said there was 'absolute chaos'.

She added: 'My niece's husband along with another guest had to use a crowbar to help three people trapped in the lift. There was no real emergency plan. 

'We were all then told to stay outside and then had to spend night at front of hotel sleeping on towels, blankets. Truly horrendous.'

Global leaders have begun to offer support to the country, as has the UN. This includes Indian PM Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, both of whom are attending the G20 summit in India alongside Rishi Sunak.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it hit just after 10pm, with shaking that lasted several seconds. 

A car in Marrakech is crushed by fallen debris on Friday night

Residents in many cities in Morocco were too scared to sleep in their homes last night for fear of further collapses

Residents of the city took shelter on the streets instead of staying in potentially dangerous buildings

Families took shelter on the streets as they waited for emergency relief

Rescue workers survey the rubble in Marrakech on Friday night

People flee a collapsing building in the midst of the earthquake's tremors

Tourists and others posted videos of people screaming and evacuating restaurants in the city as throbbing club music played

At least 820 people have died in Morocco near the quake with toll expected to rise

Morocco's National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale. 

The U.S. agency reported a magnitude-4.9 aftershock hit 19 minutes later.

Variations in early measurements are common, although either reading would be Morocco's strongest in years. 

Though earthquakes are relatively rare in North Africa, a magnitude 5.8 tremor struck near Agadir and caused thousands of deaths in 1960. 

'Earthquakes of this size in the region are uncommon, but not unexpected,' said the USGS. 

'Since 1900, there have been no earthquakes M6 (magnitude 6) and larger within 500 km of this earthquake, and only 9 M5 (magnitude 5) and larger earthquakes.' 

The USGS predicted that 'significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread', noting that many people in the area reside in structures that are 'highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking'.

The epicenter of Friday's tremor was high in the Atlas Mountains roughly 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) south of Marrakesh. It was also near Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa and Oukaimeden, a popular Moroccan ski resort.

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.

The USGS said the epicenter was 18 kilometers (11 miles) below the Earth's surface, while Morocco's seismic agency put it at 8 kilometers (5 miles) down.

The quake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere and Algeria's Civil Defense agency, which oversees emergency response.

People in the capital city of Rabat, about 350 km north of Ighil, and in the coastal town of Imsouane, about 180 km to its west, also fled their homes, fearing a stronger quake, according to Reuters witnesses.

In Casablanca, some 250 km north of Ighil, people who spent the night in the streets were too scared to return to their homes.

'We felt a very violent tremor, and I realized it was an earthquake,' said Abdelhak El Amrani, a 33-year-old in Marrakesh, speaking to AFP by telephone.

'I could see buildings moving. 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.'

He said the power and telephone networks went out for 10 minutes, but then returned.

He said everyone was staying in the open air, for fear of aftershocks. 

Moroccans posted videos showing buildings reduced to rubble and dust after the earthquake

People are seen in Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, in the aftermath of the quake

Moroccans use flashlights to try and see where a person is trapped on Friday night

Locals in Casablanca are seen on Friday night outdoors, for fear of aftershocks

People gather on a street in Casablanca, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco

A man is seen trying to rescue someone from the rubble on Friday night in Morocco

A dazed and bloodied man stands outside the rubble of a building

Dramatic footage shared on TikTok showed tourists in Marrakesh in the aftermath of the earthquake, with the dust from the buildings rising behind them

Panicked young women are seen trying to get away from the collapsing buildings

Hospitals in Marrakesh reportedly saw a 'massive influx' of injured people.

In the town of Al-Haouz, near the epicenter of the quake, a family was trapped in the rubble after their house collapsed, local media reported.

The earthquake was also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, the capital; in Casablanca, the largest city in the country, and the tourist surfer town of Essaouira.

'There's not too much damage, more panic,' said one Essaouira resident. 

'We heard screams at the time of the tremor.

'People are in the squares, in the cafes, preferring to sleep outside. Pieces of facades have fallen.'

In 2004, at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured when a quake hit Al Hoceima in northeastern Morocco, and in 1960 a magnitude 6.7 quake in Agadir killed more than 12,000.

The 7.3-magnitude El Asnam earthquake in neighbouring Algeria in 1980 was regionally one of the most destructive earthquakes in recent history.

It killed 2,500 people and left at least 300,000 homeless.