A powerful earthquake struck Morocco’s High Atlas mountains late Friday, killing at least 632 people, destroying buildings and sending residents of the main city rushing from their homes, state television reported.
The number of injured stood at 329, state media reported on Saturday, citing an updated preliminary death toll from the Interior Ministry.
A local official had previously said most of the deaths were in inaccessible mountainous areas.
Residents of Marrakech, the nearest major city to the epicenter, said several buildings had collapsed in the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Local television showed pictures of the collapsed minaret of the mosque with rubble strewn over the crushed car.
The Interior Ministry urged calm, saying in its televised statement on the death toll that the quake had hit the regions of Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.
Montasir Itri, a resident of the mountain village of Asni near the epicenter said that most of the houses there were damaged. “Our neighbors are under the rubble and people are working hard to save them using the means available in the village,” he said.
The Interior Ministry, in a televised statement on the death toll, urged calm and said the quake had hit the regions of Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.via REUTERS
Further west, near Taroudant, teacher Hamid Afkar said he had fled his home and felt aftershocks. “The earth shook for about 20 seconds. The door opened and closed by itself when I rushed down from the second floor,” he said.
Morocco’s geophysical center said the earthquake occurred in the Ighil area of the High Atlas with a magnitude of 7.2.
The US Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 6.8 and said it was at a relatively shallow depth of 11.5 miles.
The Interior Ministry said the number was the initial death toll and 153 people had been injured. via REUTERS
Morocco’s geophysical center said the earthquake occurred in the Ighil area of the High Atlas with a magnitude of 7.2. via REUTERS
Ighil, a mountainous region with small farming villages, lies about 40 miles southwest of Marrakech. The earthquake happened after 11 pm
The earthquake was Morocco’s deadliest since a 2004 tremor near Al Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains killed more than 600 people.
The United Nations stands ready to assist the Moroccan government in its “efforts to assist the affected population,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
MARRAKECH DAMAGE
In Marrakech, several houses in the densely packed old city have collapsed and people are working hard to remove debris with their hands while they wait for heavy equipment, resident Id Waaziz Hassan said.
Footage of the medieval city wall shows large cracks in one section and a collapsed section, with rubble strewn across the street.
The Interior Ministry, in a televised statement on the death toll, urged calm and said the quake had hit the regions of Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.via REUTERS
People gather on a street in Casablanca after the earthquake as they fear another one will hit the area.REUTERS
Another resident of Marrakech, Brahim Himmi, said he saw ambulances leaving the old city and many building facades were damaged. He said people were scared and stayed outside in case of another earthquake.
“The chandelier fell from the ceiling and I ran out. I am still traveling with my children and we are scared,” said Houda Hafsi, 43, in Marrakech.
Another woman there, Dalila Fahem, said there were cracks in her house and damage to her furniture. “Luckily I haven’t slept yet,” he said.
A car is covered in dust as people stand outside following the earthquake.via REUTERS
In Marrakech, several houses in the densely packed old city have collapsed and people are working hard to remove debris with their hands while they wait for heavy equipment, said resident Id Waaziz Hassan.via REUTERS
People in the capital Rabat, about 350 km north of Ighil, and in the coastal town of Imsouane, about 180 km to its west, also left their homes, fearing a stronger earthquake, Reuters witnesses said.
In Casablanca, about 250 km north of Ighil, people who spend the night on the streets are too afraid to return to their homes.
“The house shook aggressively, everyone was scared,” resident Mohamed Taqafi said. “I thought only my house was moved because it was fragile and dilapidated. I heard people screaming, everyone came out of their houses.”
Videos shared on social media shortly after the quake, which Reuters could not immediately confirm, showed terrified people running out of shopping malls, restaurants and apartment buildings and gathering outside.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
