Morocco declares 3 days of national mourning

The King Morocco on Saturday declared three days of national mourning after a deadly earthquake overnight.

The death toll rose to 1,305 people late on Saturday, a statement from the interior ministry said.

The ministry also said 1,832 were injured by the quake, gauged by the U.S. Geological Survey at a magnitude of 6.8 with an epicentre some 72 km (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech.

In the village of Amizmiz near the epicentre, rescue workers picked through rubble with their bare hands.

Fallen masonry blocked narrow streets. Outside a hospital, around 10 bodies lay covered in blankets as grieving relatives stood nearby.

King Mohammed VI also instructed a series of measures to assist people affected by the earthquake.

The measures include strengthening the means and rescue teams to speed up the process of rescuing and evacuating the wounded as well as providing affected areas with potable water.

This is in addition to distributing food, tents, and blankets to all victims and people left homeless due to the quake.