Huge devastation found in remote regions after Morocco quake
With Nick Beake and Alice Cuddy reporting from the Atlas Mountains and Anna Holligan in Marrakesh
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With Nick Beake and Alice Cuddy reporting from the Atlas Mountains and Anna Holligan in Marrakesh
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Edited by Henri Astier
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Watch: BBC correspondent reaches remote village
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Nick Beake describes the scene that awaited him when he reached a mountainous Moroccan village following Friday night's earthquake.
You can read more from Nick here.
Next day or so 'critical'
There is a finite window of time to rescue people trapped after Friday night's earthquake, an aid worker has warned.
Caroline Holt, operations director for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), warned on Saturday that the next 24 to 48 hours would be "critical in terms of saving lives".
She said: "Search and rescue efforts will be prioritised in parallel, of course, with making sure that those that we know have survived are taken care of."
Huge damage to historic mosque
Marrakesh's famous, central square Jemaa el-Fna - somewhere mentioned in our last post - is among the places that were hit by Friday night's earthquake.
There are many tourist attractions, historic buildings and popular cafes and restaurants around it.
Here you can see the damage the mosque of the Jemaa el-Fna square has suffered, especially to its tower.
In pictures: Fear lingers at night
A strange new normal prevails at night in Morocco: many people are too afraid to stay in their homes, so streets are crowded.
Where the tremors were felt
The quake's epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh - a city with world heritage status which is popular with tourists.
But the tremors were also felt in the capital Rabat, some 350km away, as well as Casablanca, Agadir and Essaouira.
The interior ministry says Al Haouz province has the highest death toll, followed by Taroudant province. There are far fewer deaths in Marrakesh, though the Unesco-protected old city has suffered considerable damage.
It is believed that many simple mud brick, stone and timber homes in mountain villages will have collapsed, but the scale of devastation in remote areas will take some time to assess.
Report of lucky escape from flattened house
As we've been reporting, many people have spent a second night out in the open.
There are reports from remote areas that entire villages have been flattened.
Moroccan journalist Hassan Alaoui visited one of them, and said he found a woman who'd been saved by her neighbour.
"Her house was completely flattened by the earthquake," Alaoui told the BBC.
"She was screaming and crying, and her neighbours heard her screams."
People waking up in makeshift camps
Anna Holligan
Reporting from Marrakesh
Many survivors here have spent a second night out in the open.
Thousands of families are waking up in makeshift camps, lining the grass outside the walls of the famous Medina, a Unesco world heritage site.
Sheets are slung over palm trees; but most belongings remain in the homes they're afraid to return to in case of aftershocks.
Inside the old city, piles of bricks and rubble are strewn around. "Violent" tremors were felt across Morocco, sending terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety.
But the emergency search and rescue teams are focusing their efforts on the remote mountainous villages, close to the epicentre, where hundreds of people are believed to still be trapped beneath the wreckage of their homes.
Entire settlements have been flattened, and the Red Cross has warned it will take years to repair the damage.
Mountain villages plunged into grief
Nick Beake
Reporting from Moulay Brahim
As we negotiated the final corner of the winding road and pulled up in the Moroccan mountain village of Moulay Brahim, it was immediately obvious we'd arrived in a community that had been plunged into grief by Friday night's deadly earthquake.
An elderly women staggered towards us, wailing, tears falling down her face, holding her head in her hands.
A few metres away, a group of young men were sobbing. They'd just discovered their friend was among the dead.
"There have been so many deaths today" one of the men told us.
"And our friend, he was crushed. We buried him today and he was so young."
Another man, Mohamed - who is helping to organise this makeshift response - revealed that 16 people had already been buried in this village alone, having been recovered from the rubble on Saturday. Another two victims will be laid to rest on Sunday.
"We've been working every minute since it happened. Non-stop since then," he said. "There are only about ten people working here and we're trying to find people in the buildings. It's desperate."
Some hope was delivered a few moments later, as members of the Red Crescent arrived. But this is a disaster that needs a considerably bigger - and coordinated - response.
Where the quake struck
Morocco in three days of national mourning
Last night, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI declared three days of national mourning.
He also ordered shelter, food and other help for survivors – and for the armed forces to assist rescue teams.
Flags will fly at half-mast on all public buildings, according to the state news agency.
Another disturbed night for Marrakesh residents
Nick Beake
Reporting from Marrakesh
In Marrakesh, thousands have been spending a second night in the open air. Roundabouts, car parks and a public square have been filled with figures of all ages wrapped in blankets.
Few appear to be sleeping, though - at least not soundly. Being in the relative safety of the outside doesn't quell the fear of what another tremor could do.
There's rubble in many streets of this historic city, although Marrakesh has fared better than the mountainous areas to the south-west.
A restaurant owner, Safa El Hakym, is trying to take in the damage.
"Thank God it's just the walls and materials that are gone," she says. "The most important things are not lost.
"And thank God we have the power of humanity in Morocco: we are all together and putting our hearts into this and helping each other."
Four things to know about the quake
If you’re just joining us, here’s a short primer on Friday evening’s disaster:
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Moroccans spend second night on the streets
James FitzGerald
Live reporter
We’re resuming our live coverage of the situation in Morocco following Friday night’s earthquake.
Many Moroccans are spending a second night out on the streets after the powerful tremors.
More than 2,000 people are now known to have died – and a similar number have been injured, according to the latest update from officials.
It’s Laurence Peter and me again, bringing you the latest updates.