The Gambia national football team players including coaching staff have been safely evacuated from their hotel after magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck several cities in Morocco.

The Gambia Football Federation said in a statement:”a tremor was felt at our team hotel this Friday evening following a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit several parts of Moroccan cities and surrounding countries within the Maghreb.”

“The Gambia national team, the Scorpions, are lodged in the heart of Marrakech, one of the cities affected by the quake as we prepare for our final African Cup of Nations qualifiers here against Congo on Sunday.”

“The entire Gambian delegation, including playing and non playing staff, are all safe and sound with not even the slightest of injuries recorded on any member. We’re now outside of the hotel rooms as we await further advise and directives from the Moroccan authorities,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, Morocco’s Interior Ministry said 820 people had been killed and another 672 injured, in an updated casualty toll. 

A local official said most deaths were in mountain areas that were hard to reach.

The magnitude 7.2 quake struck in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains late on Friday night. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba