6.9 Quake Rocks Morocco, Kills Nearly 300 People & Injures Over 150

Powerful Magnitude 6.9 Quake Rocks Morocco, Kills Nearly 300 People & Injures Over 150

Sputnik

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.