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More than 2,000 people have died after a powerful earthquake hit the North African country of Morocco on Friday night. Thousands have been injured. Here’s what we know so far.

The earthquake came at around 11:11 p.m. local time. Its epicenter (震中) was about 72 kilometers southwest of Marrakech, a city of about 840,000 people and a popular tourist and economic center. 

The earthquake had a magnitude (震级) of 6.8, meaning it is classed as “strong”. It also hit at a relatively shallow (浅的) depth, making it more destructive. Earthquakes of this size in the area are uncommon, but not unexpected. Nine earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 or higher have hit the area since 1900, but none of them have had a magnitude higher than 6. The earthquake is Morocco’s strongest since 1960 when an earthquake killed more than 12,000 people. 

More than 300,000 people have been influenced in Marrakech and neighbouring areas. Historic sites (历史遗迹) have been destroyed, but the hardest-hit areas are those nearest to the Atlas Mountains. People at the foot of the mountains said some towns are completely destroyed, with almost all the homes in an area of the village of Asni broken. More than a thousand people have died in the province of Al Haouz and more than 400 died in the southwestern Moroccan city of Taroudant.