- At least 300 people have died in an earthquake in northern
Morocco which sent buildings crashing down on families while they slept.
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- The earthquake hit villages near the city of Al Hoceima,
which stands on the shores of the Mediterranean, at around half-past two
this morning.
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- Most of the population were sleeping when their houses
were shaken by a jolt that measured 6.5 on the Richter scale.
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- The preliminary death toll currently stands at 300, but
authorities expect the total to rise as more bodies are unearthed by rescue
teams.
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- Hundreds more people are injured, most with broken bones
from where they were hit by falling masonry.
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- Some are being treated in an army barracks or being airlifted
to other cities as the local hospital is too small to cope with the scale
of the disaster.
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- Many of the victims are women, children and the elderly.
Most men leave the area for jobs in Germany and the Netherlands.
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- Rescue attempts are being hampered by the mountainous
terrain and narrow roads in the region; there are believed to be many more
people buried under the rubble after entire villages of mud-brick houses
collapsed.
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- The earthquake is the biggest to hit Morocco for over
40 years. A tremor destroyed the city of Agadir, killing 12,000 people
in 1960.
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- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004.
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