..biggest in 120 years

A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 1,000 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. (Sept. 9)

More than 1,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled Saturday to reach hardest-hit remote areas where the dead were laid to rest even as desperate efforts were underway to save those trapped.

The magnitude-6.8 quake, the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years, sent people fleeing their homes in terror and disbelief late Friday.

One man said dishes and wall hangings began raining down, and people were knocked off their feet. The enormity of the destruction came into view in the daylight.

The quake brought down walls made from stone and masonry not constructed to endure quakes, covering whole communities with rubble and leaving residents picking their way precariously through remains.

Rescuers worked through the night to find survivors buried in the dusty ruins.

A tent typically used for celebrations was erected for shelter in the center of the impoverished mountain community of Moulay Brahim, where homes made of clay and brick were largely left uninhabitable.

Fathers sobbed into phones telling loved ones about losing their children. Bodies covered with blankets lay in the health center next to a mosque as doctors pulled shards from people’s feet and treated surface wounds.

AP