Morocco earthquake death toll reaches nearly 300

A powerful earthquake struck Morocco's High Atlas mountains late on Friday, killing at least 296 people, destroying buildings and sending residents of major cities rushing from their homes.

 Residents of Marrakech, the nearest big city to the epicenter, said some buildings had collapsed in the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and local television showed pictures of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.

 According to the statement of the National Geophysical Institute of Morocco, a 7-magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:11 p.m. local time on Friday (1:11 a.m. Moscow time on Saturday). The epicenter was located in the district of Igil in the province of El Haouz, which is part of the Marrakech-Safi region, the origin was at a depth of 8 km. According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.9 and its epicenter was located 77 km southwest of Marrakech.