No fewer than 632 people have been confirmed killed and over 153 injured after powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco on Friday night, the country’s Interior Ministry reports on Saturday.
The ministry added that the quake struck 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of Morocco’s tourist hotspot, Marrakesh at 11:11 pm while strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira, and as far as Algeria and Portugal.
“The quake killed 296 people in the provinces and municipalities of Al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant. Hundreds others died in other provinces,” the ministry statement said.
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was in the High Atlas mountains located about 72 kilometers (44.7 miles) southwest of Marrakech, a city of some 840,000 people and a popular tourist destination. State-run Al-Aoula television has reported nearly 300 deaths.
The agency further stated that the earthquake was the strongest to hit that part of the North African nation in more than 120 years, while Marrakech’s historic walls, a set of defensive ramparts first laid out in the early 12th century, have been damaged.
A local resident, Abdelhak El Amrani, who spoke to AFP, was reported as saying:
“We felt a very violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake. I could see buildings moving. We don’t necessarily have the reflexes for this type of situation. Then I went outside and there were a lot of people there. People were all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught.
“The power went out for 10 minutes, and so did the telephone network, but then it came back on. Everyone decided to stay outside.”
Residents of Marrakech report that some buildings had collapsed in the old city which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with local television showing pictures of a fallen mosque Minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.
Local media also reported that roads leading to the mountain region around the epicentre were jammed with vehicles and blocked with collapsed rocks, slowing rescue efforts.