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The Ministry of the Interior Morocco indicated that at least 632 people died as a result of the earthquake, a figure that, it noted, is preliminary. A local official told the Reuters news agency that most of the deaths occurred in mountainous areas that are difficult to access.
In the town of Asni, near the epicenter, most of the houses collapsed. "Our neighbours are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them," said Montasir Itri, a neighbour.
In another village, further west, near Taroudant, Hamid Afkar said the ground had shaken for 20 seconds. "The doors opened and closed by themselves as I ran down the stairs from the second floor," he said.
The tremor occurred late on Friday, September 8, at 11:11 p.m. According to Morocco's geophysical center, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2, while the United States Geological Survey estimated it at a magnitude of 6.8, with a relatively shallow depth of 18.5 kilometers.
It had its epicenter in the Ighil area, in the High Atlas Mountains, about 72 kilometers from the city of Marrakesh. The tremor shook that city and others, such as the capital, Rabat, causing people to quickly evacuate buildings for outdoor spaces.
Many citizens expressed their fear in front of the local media. In Marrakesh and also in Rabat, about 350 kilometers north of the epicenter, and in the coastal city of Imsouane, about 180 kilometers to the west, many people preferred to stay outdoors, on alert for possible aftershocks.
Earthquake kills family, prompts rescue
After the earthquake, people were scared, and they didn't want to go back inside their shaky buildings. Here's what one person in Marrakesh said: "We felt a very strong shake, and I realized it was an earthquake. I could see buildings moving. We didn't know what to do at first, but then we went outside, and there were a lot of people there. Everyone was shocked and scared. The kids were crying, and the parents were really upset."
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The earthquake happened late at night. The U.S. Geological Survey said it was a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, while Morocco's National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network said it was a 7 on the Richter scale. There was also a smaller aftershock later.
The earthquake started in the Atlas Mountains, not far from Marrakesh. It was deep underground, about 11 miles down, according to the U.S. agency, while Morocco's agency said it was 5 miles deep. People felt the shaking in Portugal and Algeria too.
In the past, Morocco has had strong earthquakes. In 2004, there was a big one in Al Hoceima that killed many people. And in 1980, there was a massive earthquake in Algeria that was one of the worst in history, killing thousands and leaving many homeless.
Local media such as TFT Morocco have published videos showing the destruction.
According to the United States Geological Survey , earthquakes of this magnitude are rare in the region. According to the entity's registry, the last magnitude 6 earthquake that occurred less than 500 km from the epicenter of the tremor registered this Friday, occurred in the year 1900.
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