The launch of has been delayed due to the devastating earthquake in , which has Ki**ed thousands.
In a statement sent to Metro.co.uk, the confirmed that the premiere of the new season would no longer be going ahead this week, as it was scheduled to begin on Wednesday September 13.
‘In light of the earthquake in Morocco we have taken the decision to postpone the first episode of Celebrity Race Across the World which was filmed in Marrakesh,’ they said.
‘We’ll update on new schedule details shortly.’
The earthquake that hit Morocco on Friday has been described as the .
According to state TV, the death toll has risen to 2,681 and the number of people injured currently stands at 2,501.
, Professor Emeritus of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at UCL, said: ‘Morocco is not the first place that comes to mind when people think of earthquakes, but they do happen.
‘This one, however, is especially large for the region – the biggest in more than 120 years – and, as the climbing death toll indicates, deadly.
‘The problem is that where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough to cope with strong ground shaking, so many collapse resulting in high casualties.
‘I would expect the final death toll to climb into the thousands once more is known. As with any big quake, aftershocks are likely, which will lead to further casualties and hinder search and rescue.’
The latest series of Celebrity Race Across The World features stars including Good Morning Britain weatherman Alex Beresford and his dad Noel, and racing driver Billy Monger and his sister Bonny.
Also taking part are McFly drummer Harry Judd with his mum Emma, and singer Melanie Blatt with her mum Helene.
The stars of the show began their journey in Marrakesh, before travelling across 24 countries and 10,000 km to make their way to Tromsø in Norway.
Speaking about the challenges of taking part, GMB’s Alex said: ‘This trip is about sacrifices; you have to sacrifice at every stage to make your money last.
‘You have to really think about your choices and, also, there will be some gambles, so I’m worried about the gambles that we take – will they be the right gambles? Will they be the wrong gambles?’
McFly’s Harry added: ‘It feels like a totally unique opportunity, particularly at our age and our stages of life. I’ve got three young children, so you can imagine me trying to pitch to my wife that I’m going off travelling for a month!
‘I never travelled when I was younger, I travelled with the band, but I never properly did backpacking, and I always wanted to, and I think the same applies for my mum, she always wanted to but started a family when she was 22.’
Celebrity Race Across The World is due to air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
