RABAT: A 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Morocco late on Friday, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicentre, with a depth of 18.5 km, was initially determined to be at 31.11 degrees north latitude and 8.44 degrees west longitude, some 70 km southwest of Marrakesh, Xinhua news agency reported.

After the earthquake, residents of Fes, a city in northern Morocco, left their homes and gathered in the streets out of concern for potential aftershocks, a Xinhua correspondent at the city said.

The earthquake was felt in many cities across Morocco, including Rabat and Casablanca. Many houses collapsed in the cities of Taroudant and Marrakesh, local media reported.