NOURNEWS- At least 632 people have been killed and hundreds injured following a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Morocco.
Many of the fatalities are said to be in hard-to-reach areas south of Marrakech.
The earthquake struck late on Friday - damaging buildings in major cities and sending panicked people pouring into the streets.
At least 329 people were injured and are being treated in hospital.
Witnesses in Marrakech, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, told the Reuters news agency that some buildings have collapsed. Big cracks were seen in a section of the medieval city's walls.
Local television stations broadcast pictures of a fallen mosque minaret, with rubble lying on smashed cars. Others were seen screaming as they ran out of shopping centers and restaurants.
Officials are working to clear roads so ambulances and aid can reach those affected - but large distances between mountain villages mean it will take time to learn the full extent of the damage.
Montasir Itri, a resident in the mountain village of Asni not far from the epicenter, said most houses were damaged - adding: "Our neighbors are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village."
Aftershocks have been reported - with men, women and children staying out in the streets, frightened of further quakes.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter was high in the Atlas Mountains - about 43 miles (70km) away from Marrakech, a popular tourist destination.
The USGS added that it was at a relatively shallow depth of 11.5 miles (18km).
This is one of Morocco's strongest earthquakes in years - and although they are relatively rare, a 5.8 magnitude tremor in 1960 caused thousands of deaths.
The number of dead is expected to rise through the day as more people are uncovered from the rubble.
NOURNEWS