Rescuers in Morocco race against time searching for quake survivors

AMIZMIZ, Morocco - Rescuers are racing against time to search for survivors on Sunday around 40 hours after a deadly 6.8-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc in central Morocco.

The strong tremor, which struck the ancient city of Marrakesh on Friday night, has killed more than 2,000 people.

Rescuers were reported struggling to reach the most affected areas in the Atlas Mountains region as roads leading up there were blocked by fallen boulders.

Xinhua reporters saw piles of building debris left by the quake in a residential neighborhood in Amizmiz, a nearby small town of the province.

Makeshift tents were pitched up to shelter local residents, who had spent two nights outdoors for fear of more aftershocks.

"We need food and cover, they are the most important to us for now," Amin, without giving his full name, told Xinhua.

He added that being stranded outdoors for another cold night was particularly difficult for elders and the children.

The earthquake hit Morocco Friday at 11:11 pm local time (2211 GMT) at a depth of 18.5 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.

The death toll has risen to 2,012, among whom 1,293 were reported in Al Haouz and 452 were in the Taroudant Province. The quake left some 2,059 people injured, with 1,404 in severe condition, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said in its latest update.

The World Health Organization estimated that more than 300,000 people in Marrakesh and its outskirts were affected by the disaster.