A magnitude 68 earthquake shakes central Morocco

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake shakes central Morocco

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A strong earthquake shook central Morocco on the night of Friday to Saturday and caused property damage in several cities, but the authorities initially did not report any victims.

The epicenter of this earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale according to the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS), is located southwest of the tourist city of Marrakech, 320 km south of the capital Rabat.

The Rabat-based National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7 degrees on the Richter scale and that its epicenter was in Al-Haouz province.

According to images and witness statements circulating on social networks, the earthquake caused property damage, but authorities did not initially report any victims.

In addition to Marrakesh, it was also felt in Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira and caused panic among the population. Many people took to the streets in these cities for fear of their houses collapsing, according to images posted on social networks.

In photos and videos published by Internet users, we can see significant remains of houses in the alleys of the Marrakech medina. But also cars crushed by stones.

“There’s not too much damage, more panic. At the time of the quake we heard screams. People are in the squares, in the cafes and prefer to sleep outside. Parts of facades have collapsed,” a resident of Essaouira, 200 km west of Marrakech, told AFP when contacted by phone.

The earthquake was recorded just after 11pm local time, exactly at 10:11pm GMT. The depth of the earthquake was estimated at 18.5 km, according to the USGS.

For its part, the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (CSEM), a scientific organization particularly specialized in seismic activity in the Mediterranean region, has estimated the magnitude of this earthquake at 6.9.

On February 24, 2004, an earthquake measuring 6.3 degrees on the Richter scale struck Al Hoceima province, 400 km northeast of Rabat, killing 628 people and causing significant property damage.