Mourning villagers in Morocco say earthquake felt 'like it was doomsday'

More than 2,000 dead as people in small communities left with 'nothing to do but pray'

Follow the latest updates on the Morocco earthquake

Villagers across Morocco have been left surrounded by devastation – with some saying all they can do now is pray – after an earthquake left thousands dead across the country.

The 6.8-magnitude quake late on Friday sent people fleeing from their homes, destroying mountain villages and ancient cities across Morocco.

More than 2,400 people were killed, with the death toll expected to rise on Monday.

Hope to find survivors is dwindling as time passes.

On Monday afternoon, a French aid group withdrew an offer to deploy a nine-person search and rescue team, saying the chances of finding survivors were next to none.

Rescuers Without Borders' founder, Arnaud Fraisse, told the Associated Press that “our role is not to find bodies”.

Because homes in quake-hit areas were often made of mud bricks with roofs of wood, stone and clay, he said, the hope of finding survivors at this point is slim.

“When all of that collapses, you don’t have much chance of surviving, because there are no air pockets,” Mr Fraisse said – in contrast to places where buildings are made of concrete or other strong materials.

“People are generally suffocated by the dust.”

Residents of the remote village of Moulay Brahim in the Atlas Mountains were suddenly surrounded by devastation, with dozens reportedly dead, scores of homes crumpled and walls reduced to rubble.

The rural community of fewer than 3,000 people stands about 45km north-east of the quake's epicentre and slightly more than an hour's drive from Marrakesh.

Popular with tourists, the village comprises clay brick and cinder block homes, many of which are no longer standing or safe to inhabit. Fallen walls exposed the inside of damaged homes, their rubble sliding down hills, AP reported.

“We felt a huge shake like it was doomsday,” said villager Ayoub Toudite. “Ten seconds and everything was gone.”

Student Abdelfattah El Akari, 19, said the quake felt like it went on for more than a minute.

“The ground moved and homes cracked,” he said.

People react during the funeral of two victims of the deadly earthquake, in Moulay Brahim, Morocco. Reuters

Earthquake devastation in Douar El Darb village in Weguen municipality of El Haouz district. Photo: Ghaya Ben Mbarek / The National

A man cries as he sits on the rubble of a house in the village of Tiksit, south of Adassil, two days after a devastating 6. 8-magnitude earthquake struck the country. Moroccans on September 10 mourned the victims of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people as rescue teams raced to find survivors trapped under the rubble of flattened villages. AFP

A man distributes bread to locals, in Moulay Brahim, south of Marrakesh, Morocco, following a powerful earthquake. The earthquake has affected more than 300,000 people in Marrakesh and its outskirts, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. Morocco's King Mohammed VI declared a three-day national mourning for the victims of the earthquake. EPA

Villagers inspect the rubble of collapsed houses in Tafeghaghte, 60 kilometres (37 miles) southwest of Marrakesh, as rescue teams raced to find survivors. AFP

Women cry as they mourn victims of the earthquake in Moulay Brahim in the province of Al Haouz, Morocco. AP Photo

A man walks amongst the rubble of collapsed buildings following yesterday's earthquake, in Moulay Brahim, Morocco. Getty Images

Volunteers watch as a digger moves rubble of collapsed houses in Tafeghaghte, 60 kilometres (37 miles) southwest of Marrakesh. AFP

A man rides a bicycle past an earthquake-damaged building in the old quarters of Marrakesh. AFP

Rescue workers dig through rubble after an earthquake in the mountain village of Tafeghaghte, southwest of the city of Marrakesh. AFP

A woman carries belongings out of a damaged building in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Moulay Brahim, Morocco. Reuters

A man stands next to damaged buildings and debris, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Moulay Brahim, Morocco. Reuters

Foreign visitors to Morocco are evacuated from Marrakesh on a special Aegean Airlines flight following a powerful earthquake. Reuters

People work to clear debris in the historic city of Marrakesh after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Morocco. Reuters

An injured man lies on the ground as he and his wife prepare to spend a second night in the open air in the village of Tansghart, Morocco. Reuters

The Eiffel Tower's lights are turned off in Paris as a tribute to the victims of the Morocco earthquake. Getty Images

A damaged room in the village of Tansghart after a powerful earthquake in Morocco. Reuters

Hundreds of people sleep outside on Jeema El Fna square in Marrakesh after a deadly earthquake hit Morocco. EPA

A person is rescued from under rubble and taken into an ambulance in Moulay Brahim village after an earthquake in Morocco that killed more than 2,000 people. Reuters

A Moroccan man stands near his home in Al Haouz province, which was damaged during the quake. Reuters

People sleep inside the Marrakesh airport waiting for a flight after the earthquake. EPA

People sit in a tent on Mohammed VI Avenue in Marrakesh. EPA

Many homes in Marrakesh were badly damaged during the magnitude 6.8 earthquake. EPA

A car lies damaged under fallen rubble from a nearby building in Marrakesh. Getty Images

Moroccan Royal Armed Forces search through the rubble of houses after an earthquake in the mountain village of Tafeghaghte, south-west of the city of Marrakesh. AFP

A man rescues a donkey trapped under rubble after an earthquake in the mountain village of Tafeghaghte, south-west of the city of Marrakesh. AFP

Rescue workers search for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz province, after an earthquake on Friday. AFP

The earthquake that hit central Morocco killed more than 2,000 people and injured more than 2,000 others, according to a provisional report from the country's Interior Ministry. EPA

The earthquake, measuring magnitude 6.8 according to the USGS, damaged buildings from villages and towns in the Atlas Mountains to Marrakesh. EPA

People donate blood following a powerful earthquake in the historic city of Marrakesh. Reuters

A man drives past a damaged wall of the historic Medina of Marrakesh. AP Photo

People work next to damage in Marrakesh. Reuters

A woman reacts standing in front of her house damaged by an earthquake in the old city in Marrakesh. AFP

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

A damaged vehicle is pictured in the historic city of Marrakesh, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco on Friday. Reuters

A view shows damage at an old mosque in the historic city of Marrakesh. Reuters

A view shows damage in Marrakesh. Reuters

Residents take shelter outside at a square following an earthquake in Marrakesh on Friday. AFP

More than 2,000 people were killed after a powerful earthquake rattled Morocco on Friday night, with Marrakesh residents reporting "unbearable" screams after the 6.8-magnitude quake. AFP

Debris in the aftermath of an earthquake in Marrakesh. Reuters

Employees of Morocco's National Institute of Geophysics in Rabat monitor earthquake developments on a screen. EPA

Debris and wreckage in the streets of Marrakesh. Reuters

Earthquake damage in Morocco. Reuters

In Casablanca, residents gather after Friday's earthquake. Reuters

Damage to a building in Marrakesh in the aftermath of the earthquake. Reuters

Chaos and terror followed as frightened villagers sought safety in the streets. When they returned to their neighbourhoods, some used bare hands to clear debris and start pulling out bodies, one after another.

People gathered and cried outside a community health centre as news trickled in of more deaths.

'The village is dead'

Rescue crews looked for more casualties or people in need of rescue following the biggest earthquake to hit the country in 120 years.

The majority of the deaths, at least 2,012 as of Saturday night, were in Marrakesh and five provinces near the epicentre, with at least 2,059 more people injured, including 1,404 critically, the Interior Ministry reported.

In the village of Tikht, previously home to at least 100 families, dozens of mourning residents and soldiers gathered at the ruins. Several said they could not remember any previous earthquake in the area, AFP reported.

“It wasn't something people here thought about when building their houses,” said Abdelrahman Edjal, 23, a student who lost most of his family in the disaster.

Another villager, Mohssin Aksum, 33, said “life is finished here … the village is dead”.

Baby born minutes before quake

In Taddart in the Atlas Mountains, a baby born minutes before the quake struck was still waiting to be named on Monday, the BBC reported.

The baby’s first home was a tent by the side of the road.

Mother Khadija and her daughter were unhurt, but the hospital in Marrakesh was evacuated soon after their arrival.

After a quick check-up, they were asked to leave just three hours after the birth.

“They told us we had to go due to the fear of aftershocks,” she said.

With their newborn, Khadija and her husband tried to take a taxi early on Saturday to their home about 65km from Marrakesh, but found roads blocked by landslides and only made it as far as the village of Asni.

The family have been living in a tent by the side of the main road since.

“I haven't received any help or assistance from authorities,” she told the BBC. “We asked some people in this village for blankets so that we had something to cover us up.

“We have only God.”

Authorities in Moulay Brahim tempered expectations with warnings that many areas remained too fragile to enter, while there was still a risk of aftershocks that could destroy whatever remained standing.

A minaret looming above Moulay Brahim was severely damaged and appeared at risk of toppling if nudged by another tremor.

Damaged hotel in Moulay Ibrahim, near the epicentre of the earthquake in Morocco. AP

Hours after the tragedy, hundreds accompanied more than a dozen blanket-covered bodies to the town square. Distraught parents sobbed into phones to tell loved ones about losing their children.

Mr Toudite and other villagers appealed for help.

“People are suffering here very much. We are in dire need of ambulances. Please send us ambulances to Moulay Brahim. The matter is urgent,” Mr Toudite implored on Saturday. “Please save us.”

The town also needs food and tents for people who have no place to go but the streets, he said. Its economy depends on agriculture and tourism.

Hassan Ait Belhaj, who owns several rental properties in Moulay Brahim, said the buildings were not designed for such violent quakes and wondered how long it would take for the area to recover.

The Moroccan military deployed aircraft, helicopters and drones. Emergency services mobilised aid efforts to the hardest-hit areas, but roads leading to the mountain region around the epicentre were jammed with vehicles and blocked with fallen rocks, slowing rescue efforts.

“Since the earthquake, we’ve worked almost continuously,” Abdelhakim Ait Idan, a Moulay Brahim doctor, said Saturday afternoon, more than 14 hours after the quake hit the village.

When Hamza Lamghani felt the tremble, he and his family darted outside. Then the lights went out. People used mobile phones as torches. When it seemed safe to move, Mr Lamghani and his family found their home and district reduced to rubble.

Five of his closest childhood friends had perished, he said. Still in shock, he walked from the square filled with evacuees. “There’s nothing to do but pray.”