The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.8, was recorded at 11.11pm on Friday evening local time.
The center is located in the Atlas Mountains between Marrakech and Agadir.
According to measurements from the German Research Institute GFZthe quake had a depth of 27 kilometers.
At least 296 people are said to have lost their lives and 153 are said to be injured. The injured have been taken to hospital. This is reported by state-run Moroccan TV, citing the Ministry of the Interior.
A car covered in dust in the city of Marrakech in Morocco.
Think the death toll will rise
In social media, people are reporting extensive damage to several buildings where the earthquake struck.
The epicenter was quickly categorized as an area where people live in buildings poorly secured against earthquakes.
Al Jazeera writes on its pages that between eight and 10 million live in the affected areas.
USGS (US Geological Survey) writes that the extent of the earthquake is probably greater than first thought. They expect extensive damage to buildings and believe it is likely that the death toll will rise.
Most powerful since 1960
Several people have reported to the European Earthquake Center EMSC that it was powerful.
Some say they could feel the quake as far away as southern Spain and Portugal, and Algeria.
According to the AP news agency, the earthquake may have been the most powerful in Morocco since 1960. Then an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 struck near Agadir and killed several thousand people.
According to the USGS, the earthquake is the strongest in northern Africa in 120 years.
CNNciting state television, writes that rescue workers are struggling to reach the hardest-hit areas.
The roads in and out of the earthquake areas are also affected, making access difficult.
The epicenter of the earthquake is between the cities of Marrakech, pictured, and Agadir.
Photo: AL MAGHRIBI AL YOUM / Reuters
Run out into the streets
Morocco regularly experiences earthquakes in the country’s northern regions. The country lies between the African and Eurasian continental plates.
Videos on social media show people running into the streets and buildings shaking.
People living in the capital Rabat further north in the country, and in the coastal town of Imsouane, also felt the shaking well.
There, too, people ran into the streets, fearing that there could be more quakes, according to eyewitnesses Reuters has spoken to.
In Marrakech, several of the residents slept outside in the city square last night.
Photo: FADEL SENNA / AFP
Both Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and Prime Minister of Germany, Olaf Scholz, have issued condolences on X/Twitter.
– In this tragic hour, my thoughts go to the Moroccan people. I send my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones, writes Modi.
– In these difficult hours, our thoughts go out to the victims of the devastating earthquake. Our condolences go out to everyone affected by this natural disaster, writes Scholz.
In several cities, people have spent the night in the street in fear of aftershocks like here in Casablanca.
Photo: ABDELHAK BALHAKI / Reuters
2023-09-09 04:39:48
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