According to the country’s interior ministry, a powerful Morocco earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 killed at least 632 people.
According to the US Geological Survey, the Morocco earthquake occurred in the High Atlas Mountains, 71 kilometers (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh, at a depth of 18.5 kilometers.
On Friday, the earthquake occurred at 22:11 GMT (local time). A 4.9 aftershock occurred 19 minutes later.
The ministry reported fatalities in Marrakesh and numerous southern locales. It’s thought that many of the victims are in far-off places.
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The earthquake, according to the interior ministry, claimed lives in the provinces and municipalities of al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, and Taroudant. At least 329 people were also believed to have suffered injuries.
Many people spent the night out in the open as the Moroccan government had warned them not to go back into their homes in case of severe aftershocks.
Hospitals in Marrakesh have seen an influx of injured people, and the authorities have called on residents to donate blood.
There are also reports of families trapped under the rubble of their homes in the city, and damage to parts of the Medina, a Unesco World heritage Site.
Some buildings in the have collapsed, one resident told the Reuters news agency. Several clips on X show buildings crashing down, but the BBC has not identified where they were.
Dust could also be seen surrounding the minaret of the historic Kutubiyya mosque in Marrakesh, a major tourist attraction near the old city’s main square.
One man described feeling a “violent tremor” and seeing “buildings moving”.
“People were all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught,” Abdelhak El Amrani told the AFP agency.
He said power and phone lines were down for 10 minutes.
Marrakesh resident Fayssal Badour had been driving when the quake hit.
“I stopped and realised what a disaster it was,” he told AFP. “The screaming and crying was unbearable.”
SOurce: knowafricaofficial
