Follow the latest updates on the Moroccan earthquake here
The earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night and has so far been confirmed to have claimed the lives of more than a thousand people is thought to be the strongest within the country for more than a century.
The region has experienced a number of deadly earthquakes over the past century or so, and continues to face lower-magnitude tremors that do not cause significant harm.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), Friday night’s 6.8-magnitude quake happened “at shallow depth” about 75km south-east of Marrakesh in the High Atlas Mountains.
“Earthquakes of this size in the region are uncommon but not unexpected,” the organisation said in a statement released on Friday night.
Tectonic plate shifts
Yesterday’s earthquake took place in a wider area that can be vulnerable to earthquakes because of stresses around the boundary between the Eurasian tectonic plate, which lies to the north, and the African plate. These are two of the world’s seven major tectonic plates.
The USGS said that the epicentre was about 550km south of the boundary between the two plates.
The High Atlas Mountains contain a variety of what are known as strip-slip faults, which involve two geological blocks sliding past one another.
The mountains also have a number of thrust faults, where one area of land slips over another at a shallow angle.
A history of disaster
Since 1900, Morocco has experienced nine earthquakes with a magnitude of between five and six, but none with a magnitude greater than six, apart from one that took place in the sea a significant distance from the country.
Despite killing many hundreds of people and being the largest magnitude earthquake on Moroccan soil since at least 1900, Friday’s earthquake was not the most deadly that the country has suffered in recent times.
In March 1960 a reported third of the population of the town of Agadir, on Morocco’s west coast, were killed by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake.
In total around 12,000 people died and a similar number were injured as buildings collapsed and residents were trapped beneath the rubble.
In 2004, about 630 people were killed and a reported 926 injured by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Al Hoceima province in the north of the country.
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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
More than 1,000 houses were destroyed, with many residents said to have been killed when their properties collapsed while they were asleep.
In the aftermath of the earthquake there were clashes between residents, angry at what they saw as the lack of an effective government response to events, and the authorities.
The same province was hit by another of Morocco’s major earthquakes of recent times when, in 2016, there was a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in the sea north-east of the city of Al Hoceima.
Known as the 2016 Alboran Sea earthquake, it claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy – who suffered a heart attack – and injured more than 30 people.
In January this year the National Institute of Geophysics in Morocco said that a 5.3-magnitude earthquake had struck Al Hoceima province, with the epicentre being in a small town and rural area. This earthquake is not thought to have caused any deaths or injuries.
7.8-magnitude
Morocco experienced damage and loss of life from an earthquake last century that was even more powerful than the one that struck on Friday night.
Typically referred to as the 1969 Portugal earthquake, this 7.8-magnitude earthquake took place beneath the sea west of the Strait of Gibraltar in a seismically active area around the boundary between the Eurasian plate and the African plate.
In total, 13 people were killed, with the USGS reporting that 11 of the victims were in Morocco and two in Portugal.
Damage to property was relatively modest because the earthquake took place a long distance from major towns and cities and, indeed, from land, but people as far away as 1,300km from the epicentre felt the earthquake.
