The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Morocco has soared to over two thousand.

According to the Associated Press and other media, the Moroccan government said Sunday that more than two-thousand people were killed in the magnitude six-point-eight quake that hit Marrakesh and many towns on Friday night, with a similar number injured.

The epicenter was reportedly in the High Atlas Mountains, 71 kilometers south-west of Marrakesh, a city with world heritage status.

The death toll is expected to rise further as the quake took place in mountainous areas and rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas.

The United States Geological Survey said that residents in the region are mostly living in buildings vulnerable to earthquakes.

According to Moroccan authorities, the quake was Morocco's deadliest earthquake since a massive tremor in Agadir killed thousands of people in 1960.