Hundreds of people were killed after a powerful earthquake hit Morocco on Friday night, local media reported.

Twenty-seven people died in the region of the tourist city Marrakech, 320 kilometres south of capital Rabat, and four others in the province of Ouarzazate further south, the report said, citing local sources.

The quake hit 44 miles (71 kilometers) southwest of Marrakesh at a depth of 18.5 kilometers at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT