At least 296 people have died and another 153 were injured in different Moroccan towns due to the magnitude 7 earthquake that occurred on Friday night with its epicenter 60 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech.
According to the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, until two in the morning the damage and deaths have been concentrated in the provinces and prefectures of Al Haouz, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.
The injured, of varying severity, have been transferred to hospital centers, indicates the ministry, which adds that there was also material damage in uninhabited areas.
The Interior has mobilized security and civil protection forces from all the affected prefectures and provinces, as well as the necessary means to intervene and assess the damage.
On social media, Moroccans have shared numerous photos and videos showing damaged and fallen buildings, some with people injured or apparently dead in the rubble. Several buildings in the medina (old city) of Marrakech were damaged by the earthquake.
According to a seismic alert bulletin released by the Moroccan National Institute of Geophysics, the magnitude 7 earthquake shook the northern Moroccan region of Marrakech and occurred at 11:11 p.m. local time (00:11 GMT Saturday) at a depth of 8 kilometers. . The epicenter was located in the town of Ighil, located 63 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech.
The strength of the earthquake is such that the tremors were 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 replicas.
