A powerful and shallow earthquake has struck Morocco, killing and wounding a whole lot of individuals and damaging buildings, from villages within the Atlas Mountains to the historic metropolis of Marrakesh.
No less than 632 folks died within the catastrophe, most in Marrakesh and 5 provinces close to the earthquake’s epicentre. One other 329 folks had been despatched to hospitals with accidents.
Moroccan tv confirmed scenes from the aftermath as many individuals stayed exterior fearing aftershocks. Anxious households stood in streets or huddled on the pavement, some carrying kids, blankets or different belongings.
Emergency staff hurriedly seemed for survivors within the rubble.
Different pictures shared on-line confirmed folks working and screaming close to the Twelfth-century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh, one of many metropolis’s most famed landmarks.
Moroccan media reported the mosque suffered injury, however the extent was not instantly clear. Its 69-metre (226-foot) minaret is named the “roof of Marrakesh”.
America Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 6.8 when it hit at 11:11pm (22:11 GMT) on Friday. The USGS mentioned the epicentre was 18km (11 miles) under the Earth’s floor. Such shallow quakes are extra harmful.