One woman who was caught up in the 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Morocco has described 'darkness, weird silence and screams' when the tremor hit.
Over 2,800 people have been killed following the earthquake on Friday, with many fatalities said to be in hard-to-reach areas south of Marrakech.
More than 2,400 others have been injured.
The epicentre was high in the Atlas Mountains - about 70km from the city.
Phone connectivity is sporadic in some of the affected areas.
If urgent, the Embassy of Ireland can be contacted in-country on +212 6 66 933 599. Any concerned family members in Ireland can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs at 01 408 2000.— Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) September 10, 2023
Asia who lives in Cork has just returned home from Morocco.
She told Lunchtime Live she was there with work colleagues.
"On Friday we were dining outside with my colleagues from work," she said.
"Thank God we were in the garden... only a few people, actually, went back to their rooms after the dinner.
"We stayed for more desserts and chats, it was after 11pm when it happened."
Debris from a building lies on a road after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Marrakech, Morocco. Image: dpa picture alliance / Alamy Stock PhotoAsia said the scene was very surreal.
"All the music went off, the lights [were] gone, complete darkness and then we started to feel the shaking of the ground," she said.
"It lasted a while for me; maybe it was a half minute or one minute, but I felt like it was too long.
"It was so scary, especially that darkness, weird silence and screams because that's how people reacted as well.
"We just stood up and just held hands, because you don't know what's going to happen."
Asia said they were told to stay outside for several hours.
"The hotel we were staying in... they had a lot of these mattresses for sunbathing," she said.
"We just used them as well, but I didn't sleep myself...I just could not relax."
'The sound of glass smashing'
Russell has lived there for 12 years, and said he was asleep when the quake hit.
"Both my wife and I were fast asleep, we had a busy day, and suddenly I heard this rumbling that got louder and louder," he said.
"What was a split second just seemed like eternity.
"Suddenly the rumbling was joined by the sound of glass smashing; picture frames fell off the walls, ornaments and glassware in the kitchen collapsed and fell.
"So you'd the smashing of glass on the tiled floor that we have here in the house.
"I jumped out of bed and the floor was literally moving; it was like being on a surfboard and waves were coming through the concrete floor".
Rescuers work near the epicentre at Amizmiz Village in Morocco following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake. Image: Imago / Alamy Stock PhotoRussell said he wasn't sure how to react initially.
"It was something that I've never experienced before so your mind's racing," he said.
"It took, I'd say, a very long five to 10 seconds [and] suddenly the only explanation was 'This is an earthquake, we need to get out.'
"I tell you what: the next time I will be out in half the time, because... I'll never forget that terrifying experience of everything moving and nothing secure.
"It did take quite a while for it to sink in," he added.
Ireland has announced €2 million in emergency humanitarian assistance following the earthquake in Morocco.
The funds will support local communities most affected through the provision of emergency shelter, clean drinking water and food, mobile health care including psychological support, and hygiene centres through support of the local response by the Moroccan Red Crescent.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said there are no reports to date of any Irish injury or casualty from the earthquake.
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