“There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” Luke 21:11

“There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Mark 13:8

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” Matthew 24:7

It took only moments for residents and tourists in Morocco’s fourth largest city to realise the cause of their discomfort: the country had been struck by the largest earthquake in its history, registering 6.8 to 7.2 magnitude. By Saturday afternoon it was feared to have killed at least 1,037 people and injured more than 1,200. Now the death toll has soared to 2000.

The minaret of a mosque stands behind damaged or destroyed houses following the earthquake in Moulay Brahim, Al-Haouz province. Picture: AFP

Its epicentre lay just over 64 kilometres to the southwest, near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz province, in a remote spot in the High Atlas mountains.

The most serious damage in Marrakesh was to the Medina, the Unesco-listed old city. Many of the low-rise buildings that line its narrow, maze-like streets quickly collapsed, sending the people inside – large numbers of them tourists – fleeing into the streets. The city’s more modern buildings, including large hotels, appeared to have held up better.

Residents and visitors alike gathered in Jemaa el-Fna, an expansive triangular 14th-century space surrounded by market stands, restaurants, and public buildings. Popular with tourists, it is normally filled with street entertainers, market stalls, and snake charmers. Many spent the night camped out there, lying down either in sleeping bags or just the clothes they were wearing, their suitcases, and other belongings close by them. As dawn broke, many returned to their homes to see what, if anything, could be salvaged.