A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8 has struck central Morocco, killing at least 1,000 people and causing severe damage in several areas.

Residents rushed into the streets when the quake struck at 23:11 local time on Friday.

"Violent" tremors were felt in several areas of the country from Casablanca to Marrakesh, where many buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged.

Many of the victims are believed to be in hard-to-reach mountain areas.

The epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh.

Many people are still believed to be under the rubble and rescue efforts are under way. Several bodies have already been recovered.

Hospitals in Marrakesh have seen an influx of injured people, and the authorities have called on residents to donate blood.

Morocco's interior ministry said the earthquake killed people in the provinces and municipalities of al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant, adding that more than 1,200 had been injured.

In Marrakesh some buildings have collapsed and the damage is particularly severe in parts of the Medina, a Unesco World Heritage site.

Dust could be seen surrounding the minaret of the historic Kutubiyya mosque, a major tourist attraction near the old city's main square, while the historic Jemaa el Fnaa mosque partly collapsed.

© REUTERSThe Jemaa el Fnaa mosque in Marrakesh suffered damages, especially to its tower

Resident Rashid Ben Arabi rushed to his car in Marrakesh minutes after the earthquake struck the city last night.

He quickly headed with his wife and one-year-old daughter to the town of Amizmiz - about 56km (35 miles) from Marrakesh - to make sure his father and mother were still alive.

He said the roads were full as everyone fled the city amid complete darkness and a power outage.

"As soon as I entered my town, I saw people in a hysterical state, crying and screaming, and everyone was looking for their families," he said.

"I saw a man lying on the ground by the rubble of his house; he could hear the screams of his two children trapped under the destroyed building, but he couldn't do anything to help them; rescue teams hadn't yet arrived at the scene."

Rashid eventually found his parents who were safe and sound but wrapped in blankets and sleeping in the street.

They were among the many people who spent the night out in the open as the Moroccan government had warned everyone not to go back into their homes in case of severe aftershocks.

A 4.9 aftershock was recorder 19 minutes after the earthquake.

The extent of the damage in mountain villages is instead unknown, but it is believed to be widespread.

Over 2,000 people have been confirmed dead in an earthquake in Morocco and the toll is expected to rise as rescuers struggled Saturday to reach hard-hit remote areas.

A rare, powerful quake struck Morocco, sending people racing from their beds into the streets and toppling buildings in mountainous villages and ancient cities not built to withstand such force.

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 quake brought down walls made from stone and masonry, covering whole communities with rubble.

The building where Naima Ait Brahim Ouali lived in a third-story apartment with her five children was one of many that were destroyed by the earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people in Morocco last week.

A house cleaner, she and her daughter fell down the stairs as the quake tore off the building's top floor and laid waste to much of the rest of their neighborhood in the town of Amizmiz, near the epicenter.

Like children in many parts of the world, Ait Brahim Quali's youngest had just started their school year. Now, relocated with the rest of the Sourejdid neighborhood to a tent city in the town center, fear sets in at around 11 p.m. each night — the time the earthquake happened last Friday.

"They saw death," she said of her children, who range in age from 10 to 25. One of her daughters now has nightmares.

The displaced family is one of many in Morocco wondering what their future holds, particularly as autumn approaches and the nights get colder. Though many villagers are being provided with food and water, officials said it could take five or six years to rebuild Atlas Mountain communities like Amizmiz, which is more than an hour's drive from the closest big city, Marrakech.

The death toll from the 6.8 magnitude quake stood at 2,946 on Wednesday, with several thousand injuries. The government doesn't release the number of deaths by community, but in Amizmiz, everyone seems to know at least someone who was killed.