RABAT, Morocco (AP) — In a rare and powerful event, an earthquake struck Morocco late on Friday, resulting in the death of hundreds of people and causing damage to buildings across the region, from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech.
Men, women, and children took to the streets, fearing aftershocks.
According to Morocco’s Interior Ministry, at least 296 people lost their lives in the provinces near the earthquake. Additionally, 153 injured individuals were taken to hospitals for treatment. Most of the damage occurred outside of cities and towns, the ministry reported.
Videos posted by Moroccans depict buildings reduced to rubble and dust, along with parts of the famous red walls surrounding the old city in Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, being damaged. Tourists and locals captured scenes of people screaming and evacuating restaurants in the city while throbbing club music played in the background.
The head of a town near the epicenter of the earthquake informed Moroccan news site 2M that several homes in nearby towns had partially or completely collapsed. In addition, electricity and roads were severed in some areas.
Abderrahim Ait Daoud, the head of the town of Talat N’Yaaqoub, stated that authorities are working to clear roads in Al Haouz Province to make way for ambulances and aid for affected populations. However, due to the large distances between mountain villages, it will take time to assess the extent of the damage.
Reports from local media indicated that roads leading to the mountain region near the epicenter were congested with vehicles and blocked by fallen rocks, hampering rescue operations.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the initial magnitude of the quake was recorded at 6.8 when it struck at 11:11 p.m. (2211 GMT), with several seconds of shaking. The agency also reported a magnitude-4.9 aftershock 19 minutes later.
The epicenter of the tremor was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, approximately 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) south of Marrakech.
While the USGS stated that the epicenter was 18 kilometers (11 miles) below the Earth’s surface, Morocco’s seismic agency estimated it to be 8 kilometers (5 miles) down. Regardless, such shallow quakes are generally more dangerous.
Earthquakes are relatively uncommon in North Africa. Lahcen Mhanni, Head of the Seismic Monitoring and Warning Department at the National Institute of Geophysics, described the earthquake as “exceptional.”
“Mountainous regions in general do not produce earthquakes of this size,” Mhanni stated. “It is the strongest earthquake recorded in the region.”
In 1960, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near the Moroccan city of Agadir, resulting in thousands of deaths.
The Agadir quake prompted changes in construction regulations in Morocco. However, many buildings, particularly rural homes, are not built to withstand such tremors.
Friday’s earthquake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere and Algeria’s Civil Defense agency, which oversee emergency response.
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