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In Pictures

Gallery|Earthquakes

Hundreds dead after powerful earthquake rocks Morocco

The epicentre of late Friday’s tremor was near the town of Ighil in al-Haouz province, south of Marrakesh.

Morocco Earthquake
Residents take shelter outside in Marrakesh after the magnitude 6.8 temblor hit late on Friday. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
Published On 9 Sep 20239 Sep 2023
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A strong and shallow earthquake has struck Morocco, killing and wounding hundreds of people and damaging buildings, from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakesh.

At least 820 people died in the disaster, most in Marrakesh and five provinces near the earthquake’s epicentre. Another 670 people were sent to hospitals with injuries.

Moroccan television showed scenes from the aftermath as many people stayed outside fearing aftershocks. Anxious families stood in streets or huddled on the pavement, some carrying children, blankets or other belongings.

Emergency workers hurriedly looked for survivors in the rubble.

Other images shared online showed people running and screaming near the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh, one of the city’s most famed landmarks.

Moroccan media reported the mosque suffered damage, but the extent was not immediately clear. Its 69-metre (226-foot) minaret is known as the “roof of Marrakesh”.

The United States Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 6.8 when it hit at 11:11pm (22:11 GMT) on Friday. The USGS said the epicentre was 18km (11 miles) below the Earth’s surface. Such shallow quakes are more dangerous.

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Morocco Earthquake
The magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Morocco late on Friday, damaging buildings in major cities and sending panicked people pouring into streets. [Jalal Morchidi/EPA]
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Morocco Earthquake
The earthquake is Morocco's deadliest since a 2004 tremor near al-Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains killed more than 600 people. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
Morocco Earthquake
Strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira. [Jalal Morchidi/EPA]
Morocco Earthquake
The regional blood transfusion centre in Marrakesh called on residents to donate blood for those injured. [Jalal Morchidi/EPA]
Morocco Earthquake
Moroccan media reported it was the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in 120 years. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
Morocco Earthquake
Friday's quake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
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Morocco Earthquake
In 1960, a magnitude 5.8 temblor struck near the Moroccan city of Agadir and caused thousands of deaths. [Fadel Senna/AFP]
Morocco Earthquake
The Agadir earthquake prompted changes in construction rules in Morocco, but many buildings, especially rural homes, are not built to withstand such shaking. [Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo]
Morocco Earthquake
Men, women and children are staying out in the streets fearing more aftershocks. [Fadel Senna/AFP]


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