SEP 09, 2023 : Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported that a strong earthquake late on Friday killed at least 296 people. Videos depicting destroyed structures and damaged portions of the renowned red walls that encircle the old city in mediaeval Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site, were posted online by Moroccans. Videos of screams and restaurant evacuations in the city were broadcast online by tourists and other individuals as pulsing party music played. The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake, which struck around 11:11 p.m. and caused shaking that lasted several seconds, had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8. The National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network of Morocco recorded the earthquake as a 7 on the Richter scale. A magnitude 4.9 aftershock was recorded 19 minutes later, according to the US agency. Although there are always differences in early measurements, either reading would represent Morocco’s strongest in years. Even though there aren’t many earthquakes in North Africa, a magnitude 5.8 quake that happened there in 1960 killed thousands of people. The Friday tremor’s centre was situated high in the Atlas Mountains, around 70 km south of Marrakech. It was also close to Oukaimeden, a well-known Moroccan ski resort, and Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa.Morocco’s seismic service estimated the epicentre to be 8 kilometres below the surface of the Earth, compared to 18 kilometres according to the USGS. According to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere and Algeria’s Civil Defence agency, which is in charge of emergency response, the earthquake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria.
