A British mum had to “run for her life” fearing she would never see her family again after she was caught up in the horror of the Moroccan earthquake.
Elżbieta Kiełkowska, from Glasgow, was enjoying a trip to Ouarzazate, around 150 miles of east Marrakech, with a group of 17 other women when the quake struck on Friday night.
As the tremors of the violent 6.8 earthquake began Ms Kiełkowska said she was forced to flee from her hotel as it crumbled around them.
Getting to the safety of nearby square she recalls how she turned to see her accommodation burst into flames after a gas boiler exploded.
Ms Kiełkowska is now raising money for the relief effort after their tour guide Abdul lost family and friends in the tragedy. She told the Daily Record: “I was terrified that the earth would crack underneath me and I would never get home to my family.
“It felt like a washing machine was going off under my feet and everything was vibrating all around us.
“The buildings around us began to crumble and I ran for my life. My shoes fell off and I was almost hit by a passing motorbike as people fled and panicked, but I barely even noticed.”
She added: “I can’t explain the horror of it all. We were all just standing there breathing in dust and shaking in fear as the tremors continued.”
The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Morocco, the biggest recorded since before 1900, has rocketed to more than 2,000.
The interior ministry says more than 1,400 have suffered serious injuries, with the heaviest casualties in provinces just south of Marrakesh.
King Mohammed VI declared three days of national mourning and ordered shelter, food and other help for survivors. An international relief effort is also underway with the UK and Spain among countries sending aid.
Moroccan television showed scenes from the aftermath as many stayed outside fearing aftershocks. Anxious families stood in streets or huddled on the pavement, some carrying children, blankets or other belongings.
Moroccan media reported that the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh, one of the city’s most famed landmarks, suffered damage, but the extent was not immediately clear.
Local people also posted videos showing damage to parts of the famous red walls that surround the city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
