Powerful earthquake in Morocco kills more than a thousand people (photos)
Late on Friday evening, September 8, Morocco was shaken by a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9. It has been officially confirmed that 153 people sustained injuries of varying severity, Moroccan Road reports.
The death toll from the earthquake in Morocco has exceeded 1,300 people, with more than 1,800 injured, local media reported, citing the Kingdom's Interior Ministry. Rescuers assume that the death toll will be higher as the rescue operation continues.
According to Road, 296 people were killed in the provinces and prefectures of Al-Hawz, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.
According to local authorities, most of the deaths occurred in remote mountainous areas.
In addition, residential buildings and various structures collapsed in Marrakech, the capital of Morocco.
Other cities in Morocco also suffered significant damage, forcing people to flee their homes.
Reuters quotes eyewitness accounts of the devastating earthquake. Montacir Itri, a resident of the mountainous village of Asni near the epicentre, said that most of the houses there were damaged.
"Our neighbours are trapped under the rubble and people are making every effort to save them using the means available in the village," he said.
Teacher Hamid Afkar, who lives near Taroudant, said he fled his home after the first aftershocks.
"The ground shook for about 20 seconds. The doors opened and closed by themselves as I rushed down from the second floor," he recalled.
The tremors were felt in several major cities of the country, including Agadir, Casablanca, Kenitra, Rabat, and Essaouira. Material damage assessment is ongoing. Rescue services are clearing the rubble.
According to the National Geophysical Institute of Morocco, the earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 occurred at 23:11 local time on September 8.The epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Ighil region in the High Atlas Mountains (El Haouz Province, part of the Marrakech-Safi region). According to the National Geophysical Institute of Morocco, the centre was located at a depth of 8 km.
The US Geological Survey estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.8 and reported that it occurred at a depth of 18.5 km.
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9 and its epicentre was located 77 km southwest of Marrakech.
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