![]() ![]() “It kicked in a couple of minutes later, screaming began… when the extent of the injuries became apparent, that’s really when the panic kicked in,” he said. People initially remained calm as they made their way out of the narrow alleyways to find a safe place outdoors, many in their pajamas, according to Brown. In the old city of Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, some residents were injured as buildings and city walls were damaged and partially collapsed, according to CNN’s Benjamin Brown who is on the ground.īrown, who was at the rooftop of his hotel when the ground started shaking, said it took a few seconds for everyone to realize what was going on. The US body predicted that “significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread,” noting that many people in the area reside in structures that are “highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking.”Īl Aoula on Saturday broadcast video of multiple collapsed buildings near the quake’s epicenter and reported that thousands of people had fled their homes after the country’s National Institute of Geophysics warned of aftershocks.Ī woman stands among the rubble of a building in the earthquake-damaged old city of Marrakech. Since 1900, there have been no earthquakes M6 (magnitude 6) and larger within 500 km of this earthquake, and only 9 M5 (magnitude 5) and larger earthquakes,” USGS said. “Earthquakes of this size in the region are uncommon, but not unexpected. ![]() The USGS said Friday night’s quake was unusually strong for that part of Morocco. “We remind you of the need to exercise caution and take safety measures due to the risk of aftershocks,” the military wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces warned residents to pay close attention to follow-up tremors. Most deaths occurred in mountain areas close to the epicenter that were hard to reach, authorities said, and rescue teams were having difficulty accessing the worst affected areas after roads were damaged, Al Aoula reported. Offers of international aid poured in from countries including Japan, France and the UAE.Įyewitnesses described scenes of destruction in the Atlas Mountains foothills following the earthquake, amid a rapidly increasing death toll revealing the human cost. The epicenter was located about 72 kilometers (44.7 miles) southwest of Marrakech, a city of some 840,000 people and a popular tourist destination.Īt least 2,012 people were killed and 1,404 others in a critical condition, Morocco’s state TV Al Aoula said, citing the interior ministry.Įmergency services were deployed to quake-stricken regions, as King Mohammed VI of Morocco ordered that a relief commission be set up to distribute aid to survivors. ![]() ET) at the relatively shallow depth of 18.5 kilometers (11.4 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook Morocco’s High Atlas mountain range shortly after 11 p.m. Flags will be flown at half-staff on all public buildings. Morocco will observe three days of mourning following the quake, the Royal Palace said. Rescuers were digging through rubble in remote mountainous areas of Morocco on Saturday in a desperate bid to find survivors after more than 2,000 people were killed in the deadliest earthquake to strike the country in decades. ![]()
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