At least 1,000 people have died and many areas have been damaged as a result of a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 that struck central Morocco.
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71 kilometers (44 miles) south-west of Marrakech, at a depth of 18 point 5 kilometers.
It occurred at 23:11 local time, and 19 minutes later, a 4.9 aftershock.
According to the country’s interior ministry, fatalities occurred in Marrakesh and several areas to the south.
Many of the victims are believed to be in remote areas.
Al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, and Taroudant were among the provinces and municipalities where the earthquake claimed lives, according to the interior ministry, which also reported that more than 600 people were injured.
As a result of the Moroccan government’s warning not to return home in the event of strong aftershocks, many people spent the night outside.
The number of injured patients at Marrakesh hospitals has increased, and the government has urged locals to donate blood.
In addition, there have been reports of families in the city being trapped under the debris of their collapsed homes and of damage to some areas of the Medina, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
One resident told the news agency Reuters that some buildings had collapsed.
The historic Kutubiyya mosque in Marrakesh, a popular tourist destination near the center of the old city, had dust surrounding its minaret as well.
One man reported seeing “buildings moving” and experiencing a “violent tremor”.
“People were all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught,” Abdelhak El Amrani told the AFP agency.
He reported that phone and power lines were out for ten minutes.
The earthquake struck while Marrakesh resident Fayssal Badour was driving.
“I stopped and realised what a disaster it was,” he told AFP. “The screaming and crying was unbearable.”
The earthquake’s shallow epicenter was in a remote region of the High Atlas Mountains, but tremors were also reportedly felt in 350 km away Rabat, Casablanca, and Essaouira.
Simple structures in remote mountain villages close to the epicentre may not have survived, and it may take some time to determine how many people were killed there.
British journalist Martin Jay, who lives in Morocco, was woken by the sound of screams.
He told the media there was “this weird evening of almost every single town in Morocco, most people are sitting on the ground outside of their houses or apartment blocks, because they were afraid of the second earthquake which they predicted would come two hours later. Thank God it didn’t”.
Although Algeria, a neighboring country, felt the quake as well, no injuries or property damage were reported as a result, according to officials.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared during a speech at the G20 summit in Delhi that Morocco would receive assistance from the international community.
The Moroccan people were offered “solidarity and support” by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The news left French President Emmanuel Macron “devastated,” and he offered assistance to Morocco.
Source-BBC
