Moroccan authorities are searching for survivors as aid pours in from around the world after a powerful earthquake killed more than 1,000 people and injured hundreds.
Small towns and villages in the High Atlas Mountains outside the tourist center of Taroudant and Marrakech were the worst-hit areas, but some historical landmarks were damaged. Many buildings in the area are constructed of adobe.
King Mohammed VI ordered three days of national mourning on Saturday night. The monarch, who was abroad when the disaster struck on Friday, also appealed to citizens and local businesses for donations.
The “painful” earthquake “caused significant human and material losses in several areas of the Kingdom,” he was quoted as saying by the royal cabinet after a meeting with officials.
The quake was the North African country’s most powerful in nearly a century and its worst since 1960. The interior ministry warned that the official death toll could rise to 1,037, with many still unaccounted for.
World leaders offered support for what is expected to be a massive recovery effort as the military joined the search for survivors. U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among those who have expressed sympathy and are ready to provide aid. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also joined the chorus. In February, a massive earthquake struck Turkey, killing tens of thousands of people.
Local media reported that first responders were initially hampered as roads leading to the mountains surrounding the quake’s epicenter were crowded with vehicles and blocked by rocks. The Associated Press cited local media reports that power supplies were also cut off in some areas.
The earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, struck just after 11 p.m. local time on Friday, with its epicenter near the town of Oukaïmedene, a ski resort in the High Atlas Mountains, about 75 kilometers southeast of Marrakech (USGS). 47 miles).The investigation said website.Morocco’s National Institute of Geophysics estimates earthquake at magnitude 7, online news site Hess News Report. The quake was also felt in Portugal and Spain, according to social media posts.
Residents and tourists posted videos on social media showing some buildings reduced to rubble.Part of the famous Red Wall surrounding the Old Town of Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritagesome hotels and other infrastructure were also damaged.
Marrakech scheduled to host annual meeting In mid-October, a joint World Bank and International Monetary Fund operation brought thousands of people to Morocco’s fourth-largest city. The conference will mark the first gathering in Africa in 50 years.
Nasser Jabr, director of Morocco’s National Institute of Geophysics, told state broadcaster SNRT that weak aftershocks were recorded at the epicenter of the earthquake.A tsunami warning is also in effect coastal areasThe U.S. Embassy in Rabat said in a security alert on its website.
The USGS said an earthquake of this magnitude is rare in the area. Since 1900, no earthquake of magnitude 6 or above has occurred within 500 kilometers of Friday’s quake. In 1960, a magnitude 5.8 hurricane centered further west near Agadir, killing thousands.
—With assistance from Sylvia Westall
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