2023-09-10 18:15:00
It was 11:11 p.m. on Friday (one more hour in the Spain peninsular) when a devastating earthquake of magnitude 6.8 has hit Moroccocausing at least 2.012 muertos y 2.059 injured, 1,404 of them in serious condition.
The epicenter of seism has been located in the town of Iguil, just 63 kilometers southwest of Marrakech already one depth of 18.5 kilometers, according to a seismic alert bulletin released by the Moroccan National Institute of Geophysics.
The tremors have shaken with particular virulence a vast region in which around 1.8 million people live, causing victims in at least a dozen provinces of the country. The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior has reported that those most affected by this humanitarian disaster are Al Haouzwith 542 fatalities, followed by Taroudant (321), Chichaoua (103), Ouarzazate (38), Marrakech (13), Azilal (11), Agadir (5), Casablanca (3), Al Youssufia (1) and in to dye (1).
“We felt a very violent shake, I realized it was an earthquake. I saw the buildings moving. People were shocked, in panic; children were crying, parents helpless,” explained Abdelhak el Amrani, a resident of Marrakech 33 years old, in statements to the AFP agency. “We don’t have the reflexes to face this type of situation.”
This earthquake has been the most powerful to have shaken the area in more than 100 years, according to the United States Geological Survey, which studies seismic movements around the world.
Seismic aftershocks
After the first earthquake there have been “hundreds of aftershocks, but most of them have not been felt,” according to the National Institute of Geophysics of Morocco. Later, the Spanish National Geographic Institute detected another earthquake, measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale, in Berrechid, a town located 40 kilometers south of Casablanca.
This seismic wave has accentuated the damage, also hitting buildings in inhabited areas. The injured, of varying severity, have been transferred to different hospital centers in the country, where they are being treated.
Rabat It has mobilized the security and civil protection forces of all the affected provinces, as well as the necessary means to intervene and assess the damage. The king Mohammed VI It has only spoken through a military communiqué in which it has ordered the urgent deployment of the Armed forces of the country to provide aid. Interior, for its part, has called on citizens to remain calm.
Devastation in the towns
Moroccans have shared numerous photos and videos on social networks to show the world the tragedy that they were witnessing. In these contents you can see damaged and even collapsed buildings, with people buried in the rubble.
Cracks in a house in a city #Marrakesh Puppies #earthquake Which struck many Moroccan cities just before pic.twitter.com/Z2PwM6himn
– Reverse traffic (@AksalserNews) September 8, 2023
Other images show the total devastation caused by the earthquake in the foothills of the Atlas, the closest rural area to the epicenter, where the buildings are much more precarious than in towns like Marrakech. The emergency services have activated the search for survivorsan operation that is still ongoing and that could increase the number of victims.
Neighbors of Marrakech have explained to EFE the fear they experienced during the tremor, which lasted for several minutes. Khalid, a resident of the ancient city, pointed out that the minaret of the mosque Bab Ailan it fell to the ground due to the tremor and the entrance of the temple was also damaged.
Moment of building collapse at #Morocco after massive #earthquake
#Morocco #moroccosism #earthquake #earthquake #earthquakes #Earthquake #Shaking #earthquake #Seductive #Jawan #G20India2023 #earthquakes #Earthquake #Shaking #earthquake #Viral pic.twitter.com/SXuxbolhtq
— Arun Gangwar (@AG_Journalist) September 9, 2023
Another resident of Marrakech explained that, after the earthquake, the historic Plaza de Jma El Fnaa It was filled with people looking for an open space to shelter from the damage caused by possible aftershocks. The Moroccan authorities alerted the population, asking them not to walk through the narrow streets of the old city, as they were more vulnerable to tremors.
Witnesses contacted by EFE indicated that the earthquake was felt in northern towns such as Larache, 550 kilometers from the epicenter, as well as in Casablanca and Rabat, 300 and 370 kilometers away, respectively, where their inhabitants took to the streets to prevent aftershocks.
Frequent earthquakes
Related news
Morocco experiences frequent earthquakes in its northern region due to its position between African and Eurasian plates. In 2004, at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured when an earthquake hit Al Hoceima, in the northeast of the country.
In 1980, the El Asnam earthquake of magnitude 7.3 in the neighboring Algeria It was one of the most destructive earthquakes in contemporary history. It left 2,500 dead and at least 300,000 homeless.
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