Image showing damage caused by earthquake in Morocco
A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8 has struck Morocco, leading to building collapses and hundreds of deaths
View of debris in the aftermath of an earthquake in Marrakech, Morocco September 9, 2023 in this screen grab from a social media video in this picture (Photo: Al Maghribi Al Youm/via REUTERS)
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.8 has struck Morocco killing hundreds of people as buildings collapsed leading to many fleeing their shaking homes.
The quake hit Morocco late on Friday with the epicentre in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh, at a depth of 18.5km, the US Geological Survey has said. There was a 4.9 aftershock 19 minutes later.
Morocco state television has reported at least 632 people are dead with around 329 more injured. Many of the fatalities are said to have occurred in harder-to-reach mountain areas south of Marrakesh.
Social media clips have revealed collapsed and damaged buildings and streets covered in rubble, while other buildings are shuddering. Panicked people are seen fleeing their homes and walking through clouds of dust. People were also seen screaming while running out of shopping centres and restaurants.
Witnesses in Marrakech, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site, told the Reuters news agency that some buildings in the old city have collapsed. Big cracks were seen in a section of the medieval city’s walls.
A view shows damage at an old mosque in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco, September 9, 2023. REUTERS/Abdelhak Balhaki
A view shows damage at an old mosque in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco, September 9, 2023. (Photo: Abdelhak Balhaki/Reuters)
Moroccan television showed footage of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars. The Interior Ministry urged calm, saying in a televised statement on the death toll that the quake had hit the provinces of Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.
At least 329 people have been injured and are being treated in hospital. The Marrakesh Regional Blood Transfusion Centre has appealed for people to make blood donations for the victims of the deadly earthquake.
The head of the National Institute of Geophysics in Morocco has said that the earthquake is the strongest in a century in the country. He said the core of the earthquake was the al-Haouz region in southwest Morocco.
A damaged vehicle is pictured in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco, September 9, 2023. REUTERS/Abdelhak Balhaki
A damaged vehicle is pictured in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco (Photo: Abdelhak Balhaki/Reuters)
The ministry stated that most damage occurred outside of cities and towns, and the United States Geological Survey has warned that the death toll is likely to rise as rural buildings are not built to sustain such earthquakes.
Montasir Itri, a resident of the mountain village of Asni near the epicentre, said most houses there were damaged. “Our neighbours are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village,” he told Reuters.
Further west, near Taroudant, teacher Hamid Afkar said he had fled his home and felt aftershocks. “The earth shook for about 20 seconds. Doors opened and shut by themselves as I rushed downstairs from the second floor,” he said.
Marrakesh is a historic area and a popular tourist destination. It has been an area of pilgrimage and migration for centuries.
Source: inews.co.uk
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