The number of victims in the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Morocco on September 8 has almost doubled to 5,530, the kingdom's Interior Ministry says on its website.

According to its data, the number of victims in connection with the seismic activity increased from 2,862 to 2,901. The highest number of deaths was recorded in the Al Haouz Province (1,643). Emergency services continue search and rescue operations.

The number of dead and injured is rising. However, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry sent an official message to the Algerian consulate earlier, in which it refused the assistance offered by the neighboring country. The kingdom did not provide any information about the reasons for this decision.

According to the National Geophysical Institute of Morocco, the epicenter was in the district of Igil, located in the province of Al Haouz. The province is a part of the Marrakech-Safi region. The quake struck at a depth of 8 kilometers. The disaster damaged residential houses as well as several facilities of cultural and historical significance; some of them were destroyed.