At least 632 people have been killed and 329 people injured after an earthquake struck in Morocco.
The 6,8 magnitude earthquake struck late on Friday night.
The death toll has almost doubled since reports three hours ago.
According to Sky News, many of the fatalities are said to be in hard-to-reach areas south of Marrakech.
They reported that local television stations broadcast pictures of a fallen mosque minaret, with rubble lying on smashed cars.
It is believed that a lot of historic building had collapsed in the historic area of Marrakech that has buildings that are centuries old.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was saddened by the loss of life in the earthquake in Morocco, said his spokesperson on Saturday.
"The secretary-general expresses his solidarity with the government and people of Morocco in these difficult times. He addresses his most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson, in a statement.
The United Nations is ready to assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population, said the statement.
The death toll from the earthquake in Morocco has risen to 632, while another 329 other people have been injured, the Al-Arabiya broadcaster reported on Saturday, citing data of the Moroccan Interior Ministry.
Earlier reports said there were 296 fatalities as a result of the natural disaster, which hit Morocco's High Atlas mountains late on Friday.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said earlier in the day that that a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred in Morocco 77 kilometres southwest of the city of Marrakesh with a population of 839,000 people.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts are still underway.
IOL