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An earthquake near the historic Marrakech city of Morocco has caused the death of at least 632 people and has injured 329. The interior ministry reported that the death toll has surged from the initial 296 figure earlier today.
Late Friday night, a tremor struck and hit at 11.11 pm local time with an initial magnitude of 6.8, causing shaking that lasted several seconds. Morocco's National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network determined that the earthquake struck at a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale.
According to the agency, the epicentre of the earthquake was in the Ighil area of the High Atlas mountains. The US Geological Survey reported a 4.9-magnitude aftershock just 19 minutes after the earthquake.
The earthquake caused widespread damage to buildings, roads, bridges, and power lines in the affected area, especially in rural villages and towns. Many people were trapped under the rubble of collapsed houses and mosques, while others fled to open spaces or sought shelter in tents and schools.
The Moroccan authorities have declared a state of emergency and mobilized the army, the police, the civil protection, and the Red Crescent to assist the rescue and relief operations. The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and ordered the government to provide all necessary support to the affected population.
Reason of Morocco's disastrous earthquake
Researchers have traced the origin of the tremors to Morocca’s High Atlas Mountain range about 75km southeast of the old city of Marrakech.
The quake occurred due to "oblique-reverse faulting" at a shallow depth of about 18.5km within the mountain range, as suggested by a USGS report.
Rock mass moves down an inclined fault in such types of faulting, and some also move in a horizontal direction.
“The American agency said that this earthquake occurred within the Africa Plate, approximately 550km south of the plate boundary between the Africa and Eurasia plates. The agency added that quakes of this size in the region are uncommon but not unexpected.”
Since 1900, people have said that there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 6 and larger within 500km of this earthquake, and only nine tremors of magnitude 5 and larger.
How rare is Morocco's devastating quake?
The USGS states that tremors of this magnitude in the region are not expected, but are uncommon." In 1960, a magnitude 5.8 tremor struck near the city of Agadir in Morocco, causing thousands of deaths and necessitating changes in construction rules.
Then in 2004, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake near the Mediterranean city of Al Hoceima caused over 600 deaths.
While there have been no tremors of magnitude 6 and larger about 500 km within the range of the current earthquake, most of these events have occurred east of Friday night’s quake, according to USGS.
Historic town damaged
CNN researcher Benjamin Brown, currently on-site, reports that residents in Marrakech's old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, sustained injuries due to damage and partial collapses of buildings and city walls.
Brown, who was at the rooftop of his hotel when the ground started shaking, told CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes that it took a few seconds for everyone to realize what was going on.
People initially remained calm as they made their way out of the narrow alleyways to find a safe place outdoors, many in their pajamas, according to Brown.
What to know about the earthquake
- The United States Geological Survey said, "It was the strongest quake to hit the area in more than 100 years." The U.S.G.S. said the epicenter of the earthquake was just over 30 miles west of Oukaimeden, a popular Moroccan ski resort.
- As they waited for more help in the old city, people were removing debris by hand. The old city, which is known for its open-air markets, uneven cobblestone streets, and spiderweb-like passageways, and was founded in the 11th century, attracting tourists as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A witness told the Reuters news agency early Saturday that some houses in the old city had collapsed.
- 2M, a Moroccan news outlet, showed footage of emergency vehicles crawling along dirt roads in the predawn darkness with their lights flashing red and yellow. As of early morning local time, they did not know the full extent of the casualties and damages.
- In 1960, an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 killed about 12,000 people, making it the deadliest and most destructive earthquake in Morocco's recent history.
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