More than 600 people have died in a powerful earthquake in Morocco
The death toll from the earthquake that struck the Sharif kingdom during the night of Friday to Saturday continues to rise.
More than 300 people were injured in the disaster, 51 of them in critical condition.
AFP
At least 632 people died in a powerful earthquake that struck Morocco overnight from Friday to Saturday, according to a new report that caused extensive damage and sowed panic in the tourist destination of Marrakech and several other cities.
The National Center for Research in Science and Technology (CNRST) in Rabat indicated that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was located in Al-Haus province, southwest of the city of Marrakesh. A popular destination for foreign tourists.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 632 people died in the earthquake. The previous count was 296 deaths. According to the same source, 329 people were injured, including 51 in critical condition.
According to Moroccan media, it was the most powerful earthquake to hit the kingdom to date. According to media and social networks and images reproduced by witnesses, the earthquake caused significant damage in many cities.
Pictures show part of a minaret collapsing in Jemaa el-Fna square, the heart of Marrakech, injuring two people.
An AFP reporter saw hundreds of people gather in the ocher town’s iconic square to spend the night, fearing aftershocks. Some had blankets, others slept on the floor.
“When we were walking in Jemaa el-Fna, the earth started shaking, it was a really amazing feeling. We are safe and sound but I am still in shock. At least ten members of my family have died in Ijoqaq (rural commune of al-Haus, editor’s note). It’s hard for me to believe because I was with them two days ago,” Houda Outsoff, a resident of the town we met in the square, told AFP.
‘Lucky to be alive’
Mimi Theobald, a 25-year-old English tourist, was preparing to eat dessert on the restaurant’s terrace with friends when she said, “When the tables started shaking, the dishes started flying, we panicked.”
“Then, as our flight was scheduled for tomorrow, we tried to go to our hotel to collect our luggage and passports, but it was not possible as our hotel was in the Medina. There was rubbish everywhere and it was not very safe. It was our first time to see an earthquake. When the adrenaline was low, we We feel very lucky to still be alive,” he adds.
Apart from Marrakesh, the tremors were also felt in Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir and Essaouira, causing panic among the population. According to pictures posted on social networks, many people took to the streets of these cities fearing that their houses would collapse.
In photos and videos posted by internet users, we can see the remarkable debris of houses in the alleys of the Marrakech medina. But cars were also crushed by stones.
“I was in my bed when everything started shaking. I thought my bed was going to fly away. I went to the street half-naked and immediately went to check my riads. It was total chaos, a real disaster, madness,” said the 43-year-old owner of three traditional houses in the old city of Marrakech. Frenchman Michel Bisset told AFP by telephone.
“Crying and Crying”
The regional blood transfusion center in Marrakech invited residents to come to its premises on Saturday to donate blood to the injured. “It felt like a river overflowing violently. The screams and tears were unbearable,” says Faisal Badur, 58, another resident of the city.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will host the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the earthquake and said in a news release about the loss of life.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sent a message of condolence after the “catastrophic” earthquake, citing “terrible news from Morocco.”
On February 24, 2004, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck Al Hoceima province, 400 km northeast of Rabat, killing 628 people and causing significant property damage. On February 29, 1960, an earthquake devastated Agadir on the country’s west coast, killing more than 12,000 people, or one-third of the city’s population.
AFP
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