By Heather Chen, Andrew Raine, Sophie Tanno, Maureen Chowdhury and Matt Meyer, CNN
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem
Morocco’s King Mohamed VI has ordered mosques nationwide to hold funeral prayers, known as "Janazah" prayers, at noon local time (7 a.m. ET) on Sunday for those killed in the earthquake.
Flags were flown at half-mast across the country, the state news agency said.
On Saturday, Moroccans flocked to hospitals and centers to donate blood as part of a nationwide call to help those injured in the deadly earthquake. State and local media showed videos of people donating blood across the country.
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová in Marrakech
As the sun came up in Marrakech on Sunday, the true scale of people’s fear became clear. Many were waking up in the city’s parks, squares and large parking lots.
They were too afraid to go inside, fearing another earthquake could cause the already damaged buildings to collapse.
Moustapha Shweirgi slept on the floor next to his market stall at Jemaa el-Fna, Marrakech’s main square. He was napping in a chair on Sunday morning after spending the night lying on a thin blanket next to his friend and fellow market trader.
When the earthquake hit late Friday, he felt like someone was trying to knock him over.
“First, I heard an odd noise, and then suddenly it felt like I was falling through the ground,” he told CNN.
People around him were screaming, panicking. The famous Jemaa el-Fna square is at the heart of the medina, Marrakech’s historical quarter, and gets very busy at night. There are dozens of food stalls and musicians competing for the attention of the many tourists who flock to the place in the evenings.
When the quake hit on Friday night, people were still out and about. Shweirgi said he saw people trying to hang on to the railings and tables on the first floor terrace of a cafe just in front on him.
He said he managed to stay on his feet, but only just. “And then the mosque started to fall down,” he said, pointing to the religious center in the corner of the square.
Outside a damaged mosque, Zined Hatimi recalled the terror of Friday night.
“People were inside praying and they started running out, nobody was staying inside,” the 53 year old said. Like many others, she was too scared to go home.
Hatimi, 53, slept in a central Marrakech park with her entire family, including little children. She said it got cold at night, so they stayed together.
“Everybody was outside. All of the neighbors, everyone. We don’t want to go inside, everyone is scared, the shaking was so strong,” she said.
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
The US has made clear to the Moroccan government it is prepared to provide "significant assistance" following the devastating earthquake near Marrakech.
"We've got search and rescue teams ready to deploy that can help not just with that activity, but with medical and other forms of assistance," US deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told reporters aboard Air Force One. "We are also ready to release funds at the right time to help the Moroccans recover and deal with this horrific tragedy that has befallen them."
It comes after a statement on Saturday from US President Joe Biden, who said that his administration was in contact with officials in Morocco.
"We are working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, and stand ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people," Biden wrote.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed "deep sadness at the loss of life and destruction" and "heartfelt condolences" to those affected. He echoed Biden's promise of assistance.
From CNN’s Pierre Meilhan
The powerful 6.8-magnitude quake that struck Morocco late on Friday was the deadliest to hit the country in decades.
The death toll has surpassed 2,000, according to figures released by the interior ministry, which also reported at least 1,404 people in critical condition.
Here is a breakdown of the death toll so far:
From CNN’s Xiaofei Xu
The Moroccan government is deploying its own response to the earthquake and the UN remains on standby to assist, the UN coordinator in Morocco said in an interview published on Friday.
“We have reached out to the government of Morocco to deploy UN support in search and rescue, coordination of humanitarian assistance and health,” UN Resident Coordinator in Morocco Nathalie Fustier said, according to an audio interview on the UN website.
“The government is deploying its own answer to the earthquake. For now, we are on standby, ready to assist according to the modality the [Moroccan] government would like to choose,” Fustier said.
The UN can help with the search efforts and also humanitarian or rebuilding needs, according to Fustier.
From CNN's Heather Chen
More first hand accounts are emerging as search and rescue teams on the ground in Morocco race against time to locate survivors.
Carmen Merino, a humanitarian worker, was vacationing in Morocco when the earthquake hit. She told CNN's Jim Acosta that she was caught off guard by the earthquake's impact and magnitude.
I heard people screaming... Lights were all off inside the airport and buildings. And then, very quickly, I (recalled other) experiences earlier this year (and) realized it was an earthquake. But honestly I didn't think it (would hit) this hard, with that high a magnitude."
The 6.8-magnitute quake, which struck late Friday, is Morocco’s deadliest in years. Not since 2004 has the country seen a comparable disaster, when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the port city of Al Hoceima, claiming around 630 lives.
It was also the strongest to hit the region around the ancient city of Marrakech in a century, according to the US Geological Survey.
From CNN's Heather Chen
Recovery and relief efforts following the powerful earthquake in Morocco have entered a "challenging" period but there is still hope of finding survivors, a spokesperson for UN’s Children Fund UNICEF told CNN.
Any humanitarian response is always complex, complicated and challenging. I think this will be very much so," said Joe English, an emergency communications specialist with UNICEF.
"The first 72 hours in terms of search and rescue are absolutely critical... They call it the 'golden period' because if you're going to get under rubble, that will be the time to do it (and) sometimes we see miracles."
English said many families who had fled their homes with "just the clothes on their back" had spent a second night out in the streets of Marrakech, the largest city near the epicenter of Friday's quake.
Children have seen their schools and homes destroyed and are now living out in the streets without any shelter," English said.
"We will be here all the way through and will support children and their families after but we can't do it without public support and donations – all of this is actually critical... in terms of getting (survivors) safe drinking water, shelter and food in the longer term."
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
The World Bank has said it is offering its “full support” to Morocco after the earthquake.
“Our hearts go out to the people of Morocco, who are suffering the effects of devastating earthquakes that have caused a tragic loss of life, injuries, and damages in the areas south of Marrakech," the bank said in a statement on Saturday.
"We have relayed our profoundest condolences to the kingdom at the highest levels and offered our full support to the country in the wake of this catastrophe," it continued.
"Our sole focus at this stage is on the Moroccan people and the authorities who are dealing with this tragedy."
From CNN's Ivana Kottasová, Eyad Kourdi, Mostafa Salem and Nectar Gan
Terrified Moroccans spent a second night in the streets after a powerful earthquake killed more than 2,000 people, as rescuers race against time to reach trapped victims in remote mountain villages near the epicenter hit hardest by the devastating tremor.
The 6.8-magnitude quake, which struck late on Friday, was Morocco’s deadliest in six decades. It was also the strongest to hit the region around the ancient city of Marrakech in a century, according to the US Geological Survey.
So far 2,012 people have been listed killed and 1,404 others critically injured, according to Moroccan authorities, but the toll is expected to rise further as rescuers dig through the rubble of collapsed houses in remote areas of the High Atlas mountains.
In historic Marrakech, the largest city near the center of the quake and a major tourist draw, many families spent Saturday night staying out in the open, as authorities warned residents to pay close attention to follow-up tremors.
People stayed away from the damaged buildings in the city’s tightly-packed medieval-era center as well as the surrounding red earth walls, where parts have crumbled.
In the Oliveraie Park in central Marrakech, hundreds of people, including children and the elderly, slept on blankets and makeshift mattresses. Families huddled together, trying to get some rest after the shock and panic from the night before.
Some brought bags of clothes and food, preparing for a possible longer stay away from their homes.
Flags around the city are flying at half-mast to mark three days of national mourning announced by the monarchy.
In Marrakech’s airport, dozens of tourists slept on the floor in the main terminal, waiting to catch a flight out. Flights in and out of the tourism hub have been operating mostly as normal.
The first 72 hours after a natural disaster are considered the “golden period” for finding survivors, as the condition of people trapped and injured can deteriorate quickly afterward.
READ MORE: Nervous Moroccans spend a second night in streets