Morocco declares three days of mourning after powerful earthquake leaves over 2,000 dead and another 2,000-plus injured

Moroccan authorities declared three days of official mourning Saturday when a rare, powerful earthquake ripped through the Atlas Mountains and the historic city of Marrakech, leaving more 2,000 dead, some 2,100 injured and first responders struggling to reach survivors. 

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI also ordered the country’s armed forces to mobilize air and land rescue teams and construct a field hospital after the 6.8 magnitude quake, according to a statement from the country’s military.

So far, 2,012 people have died, mostly in Marrakech and five provinces near the epicenter of the quake, with 2,059 people injured, according to reports.

Videos of the devastation show scared citizens running for safety and pushing each other out of the way as dust and debris crumble around them and homes fall apart and buildings lay on their sides. 

State television also showed hundreds of people camped out in the streets of Marrakech Friday night, too afraid to return to homes that they feared would collapse after the quake.