The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Morocco has reached to over more than 2,000, with a similar number of injured.

Iran PressAfrica: Moroccan earthquake survivors huddled for a night in the open on the High Atlas Mountains on Saturday, a day after the country's deadliest quake in more than six decades killed more than 2,000 people and laid waste to villages.

Neighbors were still searching for survivors buried on the slopes, where houses of mud brick, stone and rough wood were cracked open and mosque minarets toppled by the quake that struck late on Friday. The historic old city of Marrakech also suffered extensive damage.

The interior ministry says more than 1,400 have serious injuries, and the heaviest casualties are in provinces just south of Marrakesh.

The Moroccan King Mohammed VI declared three days of national mourning and ordered shelter, food and other help for survivors.

Many people in fear are spending a second night out in the open areas.

The magnitude 6.8 quake hit Marrakesh and many towns on Friday night. In remote mountain areas, entire villages are reported to have been flattened. 219

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