<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Tourists in Marrakesh have been speaking to the BBC about their experience of the strong earthquake that struck central Morocco.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Samantha and her daughter Jessica are currently staying in a riad - a traditional Moroccan house - in the Palais Bahia part of city.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were evacuated to a nearby square when the quake hit, and spent the night there with hundreds of locals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Samantha said there was a strong community spirit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 6.8 magnitude quake struck at 23:11 local time on Friday and more than 2,000 people have died.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh, at a depth of 18.5km, the US Geological Survey said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was followed by a 4.9 aftershock 19 minutes later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Our riad has survived but the roofs of the buildings around us have all crumbled and the house next door has collapsed," Samantha said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There is an enormous amount of building debris everywhere and lots of the alleyways are blocked."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said other English tourists she has met want to get home safely but "flight prices are rising exorbitantly by the hour".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Caitlin and Jamie Faulkner, from Wigtownshire, are at the end of their honeymoon in Marrakesh. They said the earthquake was a surreal experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were at a pool party that ended at 11pm, and when the quake happened, Caitlin said "we thought they'd turned the music back on. It sounded like bass but with no music".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then the power went out.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"In the UK you don't get taught how to deal with these things," Ms Faulkner said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It wasn't until we got out and there was everything in darkness and people were panicking. There's been a bit of damage to the hotel but it's a new build and overall it's okay.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Only yesterday we were walking around the medina and today we're looking at them full of rubble."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said they were told it was safe to return to their accommodation at 1.30am.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"When we woke up, every sun lounger was filled with pillows and duvets. A lot of people slept outside." BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>