NORTHERN MOROCCO Strong earthquake kills hundreds

The 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit while most people were sleeping.
RABAT, Morocco (AP) -- A powerful earthquake struck northern Morocco early today, toppling houses and killing at least 300 people, local authorities said. Many of the victims were women, children and the elderly.
The quake shook rural areas near the Mediterranean city of Al Hoceima, and there was deep concern about three outlying villages -- Ait Kamra, Tamassint and Imzourn -- where 30,000 people live in mud structures unable to withstand such an earthquake.
The quake struck at 2:27 a.m., when most people would have been asleep.
"If we take into account the 140 people already killed in Al Kamra, we believe that the toll will rise to more than 300," a spokesman for village authorities told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Centered at sea
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 6.5-magnitude quake was centered 100 miles northeast of Fez, about a mile below the Mediterranean Sea bed.
The death toll climbed steadily throughout the day as rescuers reached hard-hit areas. Military and civilian rescuers were dispatched to help survivors and search for victims trapped under rubble, while helicopters filled with emergency supplies were preparing for takeoff.
However, rescuers reported difficulties in reaching the affected area, located in the foothills of the Rif Mountains and served by bad roads.
Aftershock hits
A 4.1-magnitude aftershock hit near Al Hoceima at 11:04 a.m., according to the official MAP news agency. It quoted the geophysical laboratory of the National Scientific and Technical Research Center.
A physician at Mohammed V hospital in Al-Hoceima told French television station LCI that there were "many deaths and many injured."
"Most of the injured have broken bones," he said. "Houses collapsed. It was a very, very violent jolt."
Another physician at the hospital told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that hundreds of people were injured and that he expected the death toll to go to at least 200.
Extreme poverty
Al-Hoceima is the largest city in northern Morocco and is populated by Berbers. The region suffers from extreme poverty and underdevelopment and has been neglected by the government for decades since a rebellion in 1960.
The local economy is sustained by fishing and by farmers who grow cannabis.