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Morocco earthquake: Sheffield man tells of moment it hit

Adam Smith A crack in the ceiling of the Marrakesh hotel where Sheffield man Adam Smith and his girlfriend are stayingAdam Smith
Damage at the Marrakesh hotel where Adam Smith and his girlfriend are staying

A Sheffield man on holiday with his girlfriend in Morocco has told of the moment a huge earthquake hit.

At least 2,012 people have died and 2,059 have been injured after the 6.8 magnitude tremor struck on Friday night, according to the latest official figures.

Adam Smith, 23, said the hotel in Marrakesh where he and his partner were staying was "shaken to the core".

He added: "We grabbed some essential items and ran outside."

Getty Images A woman surveys the damage to a building in Marrakesh, reduced almost entirely to rubbleGetty Images
A woman surveys the damage to a building in Marrakesh after the powerful earthquake struck overnight on Friday

Mr Smith said the experience was scary when a tremor first hit.

"We were winding down to go to sleep," he explained, when glass began to vibrate.

Mr Smith said he and his girlfriend, along with other guests, had gathered near the hotel entrance when a second tremor struck.

"We desperately searched for English speakers but we only found a couple of people who spoke broken English," he said.

"We waited to see if the building would be stable and eventually ran in to retrieve medication and bedding as we faced the prospect of sleeping in the car park for the evening."

Adam Smith People sleeping outsideAdam Smith
Tourists and locals sleep out in the open following the 6.8 magnitude tremor

The epicentre was in a remote mountainous region south-west of Marrakesh, where entire villages were reported to have been flattened.

More than 300,000 people in the area have been affected, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Mr Smith said he and his girlfriend were due to fly home on Monday. He added they were both "relatively safe".

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