Morocco-- A very powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco Friday night, killing over 600 people and damaging structures in the historic city of Marrakech, as reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS), in what was reported as the biggest seismic to hit the region of the North African nation in more than a century.
Morocco's Interior Ministry reported Saturday morning that at least 632 people had perished, the majority of them were in Marrakech and five provinces near the epicentre of the earthquake. 329 persons were also hurt. The death toll was expected to grow further as the search continued and rescuers reached more isolated places.
Moroccan television broadcast footage from the aftermath, as many people remained outside, fearful of aftershocks.Anxious families assembled in the streets or on the streets, some clutching children, blankets or other things.
The fluorescent yellow vests of emergency workers illuminated the evening landscape as they searched for survivors among the ruins of buildings. The tremor punched a big hole in a house and nearly buried an automobile under the rubble of a collapsed building.
Baskets, buckets and garments were discovered among the scattered stones in the ruins of one structure.
The 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech, one of the city's most famous attractions, was damaged, according to Moroccan media, but the extent of the damage was not immediately visible. The 69-meter (226-foot) minaret is referred to as the "roof of Marrakech."
Moroccans also shared videos of damage to the well-known red walls that surround Marrakech's old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
According to the mayor of a town near the earthquake's epicentre, some homes in adjacent towns had partially or completely fallen, and electricity and roads had been cut off in several locations.
According to Abderrahim Ait Daoud, the mayor of Talat N'Yaaqoub, authorities are attempting to clear roads in Al Haouz Province to allow ambulances and aid to reach impacted residents, but the huge distances between mountain settlements mean it will take time to figure out the extent of the damage.
According to local media, highways leading to the alpine region surrounding the epicentre were clogged with vehicles and obstructed by collapsed rocks, hampering rescue efforts.
On Saturday, messages of solidarity began to pour in from all across the world. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his condolences on X, formerly known as Twitter. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting the Group of 20 summit of the world's leading economies, said in a statement that "India is ready to offer all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time."
According to a United Nations spokeswoman, "The United Nations is ready to assist the government of Morocco in its efforts to assist the impacted population."
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it struck at 23:11 (2211 GMT), with shaking that lasted several seconds, according to the US Geological Survey. A magnitude-4.9 aftershock struck 19 minutes later, according to the US agency.
The tremor's epicentre was in Ighil in Al Haouz Province, around 70 kilometres south of Marrakech.
The US Geological Survey estimated the epicentre to be 18 kilometres below the Earth's surface, whereas Morocco's seismic service estimated it to be 11 kilometres. These shallow earthquakes are more damaging
Earthquakes are uncommon in North Africa. The earthquake was the greatest ever recorded in the mountain region, according to Lahcen Mhanni, Head of the Seismic Monitoring and Warning Department at the National Institute of Geophysics.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near the Moroccan city of Agadir in 1960, killing hundreds.
The Agadir earthquake triggered revisions in Moroccan construction regulations, although many buildings, particularly rural dwellings, are not designed to survive severe tremors.
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake in the Mediterranean coastal city of Al Hoceima in 2004 killed around 600 people.
According to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere and Algeria's Civil Defence organisation, the Friday tremor was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria.