Morocco Struck by Deadly Earthquake with Over 2,000 Casualties
Morocco, [Date]: Tragedy struck Morocco on Friday night as a powerful earthquake claimed the lives of over 2,000 people, as reported by the country’s interior ministry.
Eyewitnesses near the High Atlas mountains described scenes of widespread destruction, with CNN quoting them as saying, “There is destruction everywhere.”
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), this earthquake marks one of the deadliest to hit the North African nation in decades. The temblor, registering at 6.8 on the Richter Scale, struck Morocco’s High Atlas mountain range at 11:11 p.m. local time, with a depth of 18.5 km.
The seismic event was felt across several Moroccan cities, including Rabat and Casablanca. Reports from local media indicated that numerous houses collapsed in cities like Taroudant and Marrakesh.
Residents in Ouarzazate, approximately 190 km southeast of Marrakesh, were seen seeking shelter in open spaces in the aftermath of the earthquake. One resident in Ouarzazate, wishing to remain anonymous, remarked, “There have been earthquakes before, but none of them were as strong as this one.”
Marrakesh, the nearest major city to the epicenter, saw substantial damage to many buildings in its old city. Consequently, many residents spent the night outdoors, fearing potential aftershocks, as noted by Zhang Kai, an overseas Chinese resident in Marrakesh.
German President expressed heartfelt condolences for the lives lost in the disaster, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the G20 summit in New Delhi, conveyed his heartfelt condolences to all those affected by the quake.
Global leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, extended their condolences to Morocco in the wake of this tragic event.
