Late on Friday night, a rare and powerful earthquake struck Morocco, resulting in a significant loss of life and widespread damage to buildings across the region. The quake affected areas from the historic city of Marrakech to remote villages in the Atlas Mountains.
Families, including men, women, and children, spent the night outside in the streets, fearing further aftershocks.
Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported early Saturday that the earthquake had claimed at least 296 lives in the provinces near the epicenter, with an additional 153 injured individuals hospitalized for treatment. The ministry noted that most of the damage occurred in rural areas rather than urban centers.
In the Al Haouz region, the head of the town of Talat N’Yaaqoub, Abderrahim Ait Daoud, revealed that several homes in towns had either partially or completely collapsed. Furthermore, electricity and roads were severed in some locations. Authorities are actively working to clear roads for ambulance and aid access, but the vast distances between mountain villages mean that assessing the full extent of the damage will take time.
Videos shared by Moroccans showed buildings reduced to rubble and dust, as well as damage to parts of Marrakech’s famous red walls, which surround the old city—a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tourists and locals captured scenes of people evacuating restaurants in Marrakech as the ground shook, accompanied by the sound of thumping club music.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake initially had a magnitude of 6.8 when it struck at 11:11 p.m. (2211 GMT), with shaking lasting for several seconds. The USGS also reported a magnitude-4.9 aftershock occurring 19 minutes later.
