BA major earthquake in Morocco has killed at least 296 people. This was announced by the interior ministry of the north-west African country early on Saturday morning. In addition, 153 injured were taken to hospitals for treatment. Most of the damage occurred outside of the cities. Images and videos from social networks show destroyed buildings in cities and people sitting on the streets. According to media reports, historical landmarks were also damaged.
The US Earthquake Observatory USGS said the quake had a magnitude of 6.8 and occurred at a depth of 18.5 kilometers, a good 70 kilometers southwest of Marrakech and 60 kilometers northeast of the city of Taroudant. The epicenter was in the Atlas Mountains. The geophone of the Helmholtz Center Potsdam gave the magnitude of the quake as 6.9. A short time later, the US authorities reported an aftershock with a magnitude of 4.9.
panic in cities
According to eyewitnesses, the earthquake in Marrakech, Agadir and other cities caused panic among residents. As the newspaper “Le Matin” reported, the earthquake was also felt in Rabat and Casablanca.
Moroccans posted videos showing buildings reduced to rubble and damaged parts of the famous red walls that surround Marrakech’s Old City, a Unesco world heritage site. Other videos show screaming people exiting restaurants around town. The tremor was also reportedly felt in Portugal and Algeria.
Nasser Jabour, head of a department at the National Institute of Geophysics, confirmed that the aftershocks were less severe. The earthquake was felt within a radius of 400 kilometers, he told the Moroccan news agency MAP. It is the first time in a century that such a strong earthquake has been recorded in Morocco.
Earthquakes in North Africa are relatively rare. In 1960, according to the Al Arabiya broadcaster, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck near Agadir, killing thousands of people.
#dead #powerful #earthquake #Morocco