At least 685 Killed have been in a powerful earthquake which struck Morocco’s High Atlas mountains late on Friday night, killing at least 685 people and injuring hundreds more.

The magnitude 7.2 quake was the deadliest to hit Morocco since at least 2004.

Most of the deaths were in mountain areas that were hard to reach, according to a local official.

The quake also damaged buildings in Marrakech, the nearest big city to the epicenter, where residents spent the night in the open, afraid to go home.

A mosque minaret had fallen in Jemaa al-Fna Square, the heart of Marrakech’s old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

“We had to run right after the strong quake,” said Jaouhari Mohamed, a resident of the old city, describing desperate scenes as people fled for safety.

“I still can’t sleep in the house because of the shock and also because the old town is made up of old houses. If one falls, it will cause others to collapse,” he said.

Local television showed pictures of rubble lying on smashed cars.