Morocco last witnessed a severe earthquake in 2004, when a magnitude 6.3 event killed upwards of 600 people and left over 900 with injuries after hitting Al Hoceima in the country's northeast.
A powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Morocco late Friday, sending thousands running outdoors to avoid potential building collapses.
Citing Morocco's Interior Ministry, a statement issued by the country's military placed the latest death toll figure at 296. The total accounts for the affected provinces of Al Haouz, Marrakesh and Ouarzazate. Another 153 people were recorded as sustaining injuries.
Preliminary readings issued by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) indicated the quake struck at about 11:11 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter was registered some 77 kilometers from Marrakesh near the town of Al Haouz, where local reports detailed some residents were trapped in downed homes.
Two aftershocks measuring at magnitudes of 4.8 and 3.4 were recorded by officials. Footage from the scene showed panicked individuals fleeing their homes for the safety of nearby plazas. Many photos have since surfaced showing buildings turned to rubble and nearby cars crushed by falling structures.
Testimonials obtained by EMSC described the quake as "scary and long" even after aftershocks rattled the region. Another individual wrote that "it was really too much in Marrakesh."
"We felt a very violent tremor, and I realised it was an earthquake," Abdelhak El Amrani, a 33-year-old in Marrakech, told French media by phone.
"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."
Reports have noted that the quake was felt as far away as coastal cities Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira, as well as nearby Algeria.
Another Marrakech resident, Brahim Himmi, said he saw ambulances coming out of the old town and many building facades damaged. He said people were frightened and were staying outside in case of another quake.
"The chandelier fell from the ceiling and I ran out. I'm still in the road with my children and we're scared," said Houda Hafsi, 43, in Marrakech.
Another woman there, Dalila Fahem, said there were cracks in her house and damage to her furniture. "Fortunately I hadn't gone to sleep yet," she said.
People in Rabat, about 350 km (220 miles) north of Ighil, and in the coastal town of Imsouane, about 180 km to its west, also fled their homes, fearing a stronger quake, according to Reuters witnesses.
In Casablanca some 250 km north of Ighil, people who spent the night in the streets were too scared to return to their homes.
"The house rocked aggressively, everyone was scared," said resident Mohamed Taqafi. "I thought it was only my house that was moving because it's fragile and old. I heard people screaming, everyone went out of their houses."
Videos shared on social media of the immediate aftermath of the quake, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed people fearfully running out of a shopping centre, restaurants and apartment buildings and congregating outside.
CTES Elog Bimbel - Daftar bimbel Tes SMAKBO
CTES Elog Bimbel - Daftar bimbel UTBK SNBT
CTES Elog Bimbel - Daftar bimbel UTBK SNBT
No comments:
Post a Comment