And the authorities are calling on residents to donate blood. In the last few minutes morocco has declared three days of mourning, and the National Flag will be flown at half mast throughout the country. The 6. 8 magnitude quake struck in a remote area in the atlas mountains, around 45 miles south of the popular tourist destination, marrakesh. Tremors were also felt in the capital rabat, some 350 kilometres away. President biden said hes deeply saddened by the events. Chinas president xi has also sent a message of condolence. Charlotte wright has this report. The horrifying moment a powerful earthquake hit morocco. Cctv shows people running for safety as buildings begin to crumble in marrakesh. Elsewhere in the city, diners frantically flee a restaurant. Outside the historic kutubiyya mosque, dust rises from the tower, prompting fears it might collapse. Marrakesh is 45 miles from the epicentre in the atlas mountains. Those in the city said it was terrifying. The floors were violently
hospitals in the region have seen an influx of wounded people, and the authorities are calling on residents to donate blood. the 6.8 magnitude quake struck in a remote area in the atlas mountains, around 45 miles south of the popular tourist destination marrakesh. tremors were also felt in the capital, rabat, some 350 kilometres away. president biden said he s deeply saddened by the events. china s president xi has also sent a message of condolence. charlotte wright has this report. collapsed buildings and rubble strewn streets. the aftermath of a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8, leaving many hundreds dead across morocco. this is one of the country s biggest cities, marrakesh, a popular tourist destination, and 45 miles from the epicentre. as emergency workers pick their way through the debris, there are reports of families still trapped and many more injured. the floors were violently shaking, the walls were shaking, things were falling off shelving. i just did
hello, i m victoria valentine. we start in india where world leaders are expective to arrive in new delhi in the coming hours, ahead of this weekend s 620 summit. this was earlier us presidentjoe biden departing washington for the summit. uk prime minister rishi sunak is also expected to attend. the 620 group consists of 19 of the world s wealthiest economies and the european union. it accounts for 85% of global economic output and two thirds of its population. it s a key forum for international issues but there are deep divisions over some of these, like the war in ukraine. live now to siddarth varadarajan, the founding editor of the independent indian news website the wire. thank you very much forjoining us here on bbc news. what hope is there that india is able to push to the fore the agenda of the global south? i think for india, the 620 has always been about, in a sense, pushing the ideas, views and interests of the global south. we ve been doing this since 2008,
the capital is preparing for the most high profile event to be held in india in years. security is tight, and the budget for hosting is reported to be more than $100 million. the two day event will be attended by several world leaders, including us presidentjoe biden seen here boarding his plane earlier thursday. president biden s upcoming asia trip has two parts, with visits to india and vietnam scheduled. one of the goals is to counter the influence of their common neighbour china. he first goes to new delhi to take part in the 620 summit over the weekend. then he travels to vietnam s capital city hanoi, to meet with vietnamese general secretary, nguyen phu trong. earlier, my colleague caitrona perry spoke with tim roemer, former us ambassador to india, on what to look out for at this summit. ambassador, thanks forjoining us. what are you expecting from this 620 summit in india? well, you know, when you look at the 620, you have 85% of the global gross domestic product re