Summary

  • Rescuers are scrambling to find survivors under the rubble after a huge earthquake which killed more than 2,100 people

  • The epicentre was in a remote mountainous region south-west of Marrakesh, where entire villages have been flattened

  • The Moroccan army has cleared one of the main roads to the worst-affected areas, allowing vital assistance to reach people

  • BBC correspondent Nick Beake reached one village where he found an elderly woman wailing after 18 bodies were recovered in a single place

  • There was also significant damage in the popular tourist city of Marrakesh, and tremors were felt in the capital Rabat and in Casablanca

  • Fearing aftershocks, many Moroccans have opted to stay outdoors for a second night, sleeping on the streets

  1. Watch: BBC correspondent reaches remote villagepublished at 07:22 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    Media caption,

    What BBC reporter first saw in the Atlas Mountains

    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.

  2. Next day or so 'critical'published at 07:04 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    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."

  3. Huge damage to historic mosquepublished at 06:45 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    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.

    A before and after shot of the facade of the Jemaa el-Fna mosque, damaged by the earthquake
  4. In pictures: Fear lingers at nightpublished at 06:25 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    A strange new normal prevails at night in Morocco: many people are too afraid to stay in their homes, so streets are crowded.

    People at Jemaa el-Fna at night, 10 September 2023Image source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Hundreds of people camped out at Jemaa el-Fna square, the famous hub of Marrakesh cultural life

    Marrakesh damaged building, 9 September 2023Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Many buildings in the historic Medina quarter of Marrakesh have been damaged

    Night scene in Moulay Brahim - people camping out in open, 9 September 2023Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Conditions are very basic in heavily-damaged Moulay Brahim, a mountain village

  5. Where the tremors were feltpublished at 06:12 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    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.

  6. Report of lucky escape from flattened housepublished at 06:11 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    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."

  7. People waking up in makeshift campspublished at 05:59 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    Anna Holligan
    Reporting from Marrakesh

    A group of young men sit in a tent in MarrakeshImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    People have camped out in 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.

  8. Mountain villages plunged into griefpublished at 05:43 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    Nick Beake
    Reporting from Moulay Brahim

    A man stands in the back of a van, speaking to two other men
    Image caption,

    Volunteers setting up a supply base in the village of 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.

  9. Where the quake struckpublished at 05:26 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    A BBC map showing where Friday night's 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco - between the cities of Marrakesh and AgadirImage source, .
    Image caption,

    The epicentre of Friday night's earthquake was in a mountainous region of the country, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh

  10. Morocco in three days of national mourningpublished at 05:05 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    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.

  11. Another disturbed night for Marrakesh residentspublished at 04:53 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    Nick Beake
    Reporting from Marrakesh

    People life on bedding in a public square in MarrakeshImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    People bedding down in a major square in the city in the last several hours

    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."

  12. Four things to know about the quakepublished at 04:38 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    If you’re just joining us, here’s a short primer on Friday evening’s disaster:

    • The death toll from the quake has risen to 2,012, officials said on Saturday evening. Some 2,059 others were injured – of whom 1,404 were in a critical condition
    • The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck just after 23:00 (22:00 GMT) on Friday night
    • The quake was felt throughout the country – notably in the tourist hotspot Marrakesh, and remote villages in the nearby High Atlas Mountains
    • Along with many countries offering help, Algeria has said it was ready to open its airspace in support of Morocco, despite breaking off ties with its neighbour two years ago
    Media caption,

    Morocco earthquake: What we know so far

  13. Moroccans spend second night on the streetspublished at 04:33 British Summer Time 10 September 2023

    James FitzGerald
    Live reporter

    People sit by a bonfire lit in the streetImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    People sit around a bonfire in Moulay Brahim village

    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.