The death toll from Morocco’s devastating earthquake has risen to 2,497, the interior ministry said on Monday.
Another 2,476 people were injured, the ministry said, updating a previous toll of 2,122 dead and 2,400 wounded, reports Daily Trust.
The magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck at about 11:11pm (22:11 GMT) at a depth of nearly 26km (16 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.
The magnitude 6.8 quake is classified as “strong” on the Richter scale, which measures the strength of earthquakes.
Authorities have declared three days of national mourning, with many left homeless following the country’s deadliest earthquake in more than 60 years.
The village of Tafeghaghte, 60 kilometres southwest of Marrakesh, was almost entirely destroyed by the quake, the epicentre of which was only about 50 kilometres away with very few buildings still standing.
The earthquake’s epicentre was located in Al Haouz province in the High Atlas of the mountains – an area usually not associated with earthquakes – about 75km (44 miles) from Marrakech, Morocco’s fourth largest city Marrakesh’s old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is reported to have been badly affected with images emerging of collapsed buildings.
Al Haouz was the hardest-hit province as Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, and Taroudant provinces were also severely affected, reported local media.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
