11:37, 9 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. A powerful earthquake struck Morocco's High Atlas mountains late on Friday, killing at least 632 people, destroying buildings and sending residents of major cities rushing from their homes, Reuters reported citing local state television.

The number of injured stood at 329, state media reported on Saturday, citing an updated initial casualty toll from the Interior Ministry.

A local official earlier said most deaths were in mountain areas that were hard to reach.

Morocco's geophysical centre said the quake struck in the Ighil area of the High Atlas with a magnitude of 7.2. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 6.8 and said it was at a relatively shallow depth of 18.5 km (11.5 miles).