MARRAKESH: A powerful earthquake shook Morocco on Friday (Sep 8) and killed nearly 300 people, according to a preliminary government count, with terrified residents fleeing their homes in the middle of the night.
The 6.8-magnitude quake struck in the Ighil area of the High Atlas, about 72km southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at about 11.10pm local time, the US Geological Survey reported.
Strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira.
“We felt a very violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake,” Abdelhak El Amrani, a 33-year-old in Marrakesh, told AFP by telephone.
“I could see buildings moving. We don’t necessarily have the reflexes for this type of situation. Then I went outside and there were a lot of people there. People were all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught.”
“The power went out for 10 minutes, and so did the (telephone) network, but then it came back on,” he added. “Everyone decided to stay outside.”
The quake “killed 296 people in the provinces and municipalities of Al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant”, Morocco’s interior ministry said in a statement, citing a provisional report.
Another 153 people were injured, it added. A local official said most deaths were in mountain areas that were hard to reach.
“UNBEARABLE” SCREAMS
Residents of Marrakesh, the nearest big city to the epicentre, said some buildings had collapsed in the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and local television showed pictures of a fallen mosque minaret with rubble lying on smashed cars.
Faisal Baddour, an engineer, said he felt the earthquake three times in his building.
“People went out into the street just after this total panic, and there are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake,” he said. “It was as if a train was passing close to our houses.”
An AFP correspondent saw hundreds of people flocking to the square to spend the night for fear of aftershocks, some with blankets while others slept on the ground.
Houda Outassaf, a local resident, told AFP he was walking around the square when the ground began to shake.
“It was a truly staggering sensation. We’re safe and sound, but I’m still in shock,” he said.
“I have at least 10 members of my family who died … I can hardly believe it, as I was with them no more than two days ago.”
Source: CNA
