At least 1,300 people were killed after Morocco was rocked by its deadliest earthquake in decades, causing widespread damage and sending terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night late Friday.

The magnitude 6.8 quake struck a mountainous area 72 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakech at 11:11 p.m. (10:11 p.m. GMT) Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira.

Updated interior ministry figures on Saturday showed the quake killed at least 1,305 people, the vast majority in Al-Haouz, the epicenter, and Taroudant provinces.

Another 1,832 people were injured, including 1,220 in critical condition, the ministry said.

Civil defense Colonel Hicham Choukri who is heading relief operations told state television the epicenter and strength of the earthquake have created "an exceptional emergency situation."

The search continued as the death toll rose throughout the day after the earthquake that occurred late on Friday night.

"It was decided to observe three days of national mourning, flying national flags at half mast at all public facilities," a statement said after King Mohamed VI chaired a meeting with the security forces and other officials to discuss the disaster.

"The Sovereign also expressed the sincere thanks of the kingdom of Morocco to all brotherly and friendly countries that expressed their solidarity with the Moroccan people in this situation, and many of those who expressed their readiness to provide aid in these extraordinary circumstances," the statement added.

The king also gave instructions to support the nation's bloodbanks and provide drinking water, food, tents and blankets to the areas affected.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs announced late Saturday that upon the orders of King Mohammed VI "an absentee prayer" would be held after noon prayers on Sunday in all of the country's mosques, to commemorate the victims.

"We felt a very violent tremor, and I realized it was an earthquake," Abdelhak el Amrani, 33, told AFP by telephone from Marrakech.

"I could see buildings moving," said Amrani who went outside, joining many other people, "all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught."

It was the most powerful quake ever to hit the country, and one expert called it the region's "biggest in more than 120 years."

"Where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough... so many collapse, resulting in high casualties," said Bill McGuire, professor emeritus at Britain's University College London.

'Unbearable' screams

Faisal Baddour, an engineer, said he felt the earthquake three times in his building.

"There are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake," he said. "It was as if a train was passing close to our houses."

Frenchman Michael Bizet, 43, who owns three traditional riad houses in Marrakech's old town, told AFP that he was in bed when the quake struck.

"I thought my bed was going to fly away. I went out into the street half-naked and immediately went to see my riads. It was total chaos, a real catastrophe, madness," he said.

Bizet shared a video of piles of rubble from collapsed walls in the streets.

Other footage on social media showed part of a minaret collapsed on Jemaa el-Fna Square in the historic city.

An Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent saw hundreds of people flocking to the square to spend the night for fear of aftershocks, some with blankets while others slept on the ground.

Houda Outassaf, a local resident, told AFP he was walking around the square when the ground began to shake.

"It was a truly staggering sensation. We're safe and sound, but I'm still in shock," he said.

"I have at least 10 members of my family who died ... I can hardly believe it, as I was with them no more than two days ago."

Fayssal Badour, another Marrakech resident, told AFP the earthquake hit while he was driving.

"I stopped and realized what a disaster it was ... The screaming and crying was unbearable," he said.

The Interior Ministry said authorities have "mobilized all the necessary resources to intervene and help the affected areas."

The regional blood transfusion center in Marrakech called on residents to donate blood for those injured.

Local media reported that in the town of al-Haouz, near the quake's epicenter, a family was trapped in the rubble after their house collapsed.

Significant damage likely

"We heard screams at the time of the tremor," a resident of Essaouira, 200 kilometers west of Marrakech, told AFP.

"People are in the squares, in the cafes, preferring to sleep outside. Pieces of facades have fallen."

The USGS PAGER system, which provides preliminary assessments on the impact of earthquakes, issued a "red alert" for economic losses, saying extensive damage is probable and the disaster is likely widespread.

Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response, according to the U.S. government agency.

Internet connectivity was disrupted in Marrakech due to power cuts, according to global internet monitor NetBlocks.

European leaders offered condolences, as did Russian President Vladimir Putin and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, along with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel which established diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2020, ordered "any necessary assistance."

The earthquake was also felt in neighboring Algeria, where the Algerian Civil Defence said it had not caused any damage or casualties.

In 2004, at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured when a quake hit al Hoceima in northeastern Morocco, and in 1960 a magnitude 6.7 quake in Agadir killed more than 12,000.

The 7.3-magnitude el Asnam earthquake in neighboring Algeria in 1980 killed 2,500 people and left at least 300,000 homeless.