Morocco earthquake death toll crosses 800

At least 820 people have died in a devastating earthquake that struck near Morocco‍‍`s tourist hotspot of Marrakesh, authorities said Saturday, updating an earlier toll of more than 600.

Another 672 people were injured, including 205 in a critical condition, the interior ministry said, after the late-Friday quake that measured 6.8, making it Morocco‍‍`s strongest ever recorded.

Emergency workers looked for survivors in the rubble of buildings, their reflective yellow vests glowing in the dark. A hole gaped in the side of a home, and a car was nearly buried by the chunks of a collapsed building in other images broadcast by local media.

In Marrakech, the famous Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century, suffered damage, but the extent was not immediately clear. Its 69-meter (226-foot) minaret is known as the “roof of Marrakech.” Moroccans also posted videos showing damage to parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

At least 820 people died, mostly in Marrakech and five provinces near the quake’s epicenter, and another 672 people were injured, Morocco‍‍`s Interior Ministry reported Saturday morning. Of the injured, the ministry wrote, 205 were seriously hurt.

The Moroccan government has not formally asked for help, a step required in order for outside rescue crews to be brought in.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it hit at 11:11 p.m. (2211 GMT), with shaking that lasted several seconds. The U.S. agency reported a magnitude-4.9 aftershock hit 19 minutes later.