Authorities reported that a massive earthquake that hit Morocco killed more than 600 people and forced terrified locals to escape their houses in the middle of the night.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT) on Friday in a hilly region 72 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech, a popular tourist destination, according to the US Geological Survey.
The coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca, and Essaouira also experienced strong tremors.
“We felt a very violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake,” Abdelhak El Amrani, 33, told AFP by telephone from Marrakesh.
“I could see buildings moving,” said Amrani who went outside, joining many other people, “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,” he added. “Everyone decided to stay outside.”
According to revised interior ministry statistics released on Saturday, the earthquake claimed 632 lives, more than half of whom were located in the provinces of Al-Haouz and Taroudant. Deaths in the provinces of Ouarzazate, Chichaoua, Azilal, and Youssoufia, as well as in Marrakesh, Agadir, and the Casablanca region, were also reported by the ministry.
The ministry reported that 329 other individuals were hurt, including 51 who were in severe condition.
Faisal Baddour, an engineer, said he felt the earthquake three times in his building.
“There are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake,” he said. “It was as if a train was passing close to our houses.”
Frenchman Michael Bizet, 43, who owns three traditional riad houses in Marrakesh’s old town, told AFP that he was in bed when the quake struck.
“I thought my bed was going to fly away. I went out into the street half-naked and immediately went to see my riads. It was chaos, a real catastrophe, madness,” he said.
Bizet shared a video of piles of rubble from collapsed walls in the streets.
Social media videos from other sources showed the historic city’s Jemaa el-Fna Square with a portion of a minaret that had collapsed.
In the square, hundreds of people camped out for the night out of dread of aftershocks, some with blankets and some just sleeping on the ground.
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A local named Houda Outassaf told AFP he was pacing the square when it started to quake.
“It was a genuinely humbling experience. I’m still in shock, but we’re all right,” he remarked.
“I have at least 10 members of my family who died… I can hardly believe it, as I was with them no more than two days ago.”
Fayssal Badour, another Marrakesh resident, told AFP the earthquake hit while he was driving.
“I stopped and realised what a disaster it was… The screaming and crying was unbearable,” he said.
The interior ministry said authorities have “mobilised all the necessary resources to intervene and help the affected areas”.
The regional blood transfusion centre in Marrakesh called on residents to donate blood for those injured.
In the town of Al-Haouz, near the quake’s epicentre, a family was trapped in the rubble after their house collapsed, local media reported.
“We heard screams at the time of the tremor,” an Essaouira resident who lives 200 kilometers west of Marrakech told AFP.
“People choose to sleep outside in the squares and cafes. Facade pieces have fallen.
A “red alert” for economic losses was issued by the USGS PAGER system, which offers early evaluations of the effects of earthquakes, stating that severe damage is predicted and that the disaster is probably going to be widespread.
According to the US government agency, previous occurrences with this alert level have called for a national or worldwide reaction.
Internet connectivity was disrupted in Marrakesh due to power cuts, according to global internet monitor NetBlocks.
European leaders offered condolences, as did Russian President Vladimir Putin and Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, along with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel which established diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2020, ordered “any necessary assistance.”
The earthquake was also felt in neighbouring Algeria, where the Algerian Civil Defence said it had not caused any damage or casualties.
In 2004, at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured when a quake hit Al Hoceima in northeastern Morocco, and in 1960 a magnitude 6.7 quake in Agadir killed more than 12,000.
The 7.3-magnitude El Asnam earthquake in neighbouring Algeria in 1980 killed 2,500 people and left at least 300,000 homeless.
AFP
