The worst earthquake of the century, both in terms of victims and intensity, according to experts, shook Morocco a few hours ago. A magnitude 7 earthquake occurred on Friday night in the northern region of Marrakech that has caused hundreds of deaths and injuries and extensive material damage.
The dead rose to 820 people at 7:00 a.m. local time, to which must be added another 672 injured, 51 of them seriously, according to the latest data released this Saturday by the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior. The number of victims, which is still provisional, exceeds that of the major earthquake that shook the country in 2004.
In a statement, Interior indicates that 290 people died in the province of Al Haouz, south of Marrakech and close to the epicenter, another 190 in Taroudant, 89 more in Chichaoua, 30 in Ouarzazate, 13 in Marrakech, 11 in Azilal, 5 in Agadir, 3 in Casablanca and 1 in Al Youssoufia.. According to a seismic alert bulletin released by the Moroccan National Institute of Geophysics, the earthquake occurred at 11:11 p.m. local time.
The earthquake had its epicenter in the town of Ighil, located 63 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech, at a depth of 8 kilometers, the bulletin indicates.
According to witnesses contacted by EFE, the tremor was felt in northern towns such as Larache, 550 kilometers from the epicenter, as well as in Casablanca and Rabat, 300 and 370 kilometers away, respectively, where its inhabitants took to the streets to prevent a possible second. shaking.
Sofía Catalá, a Spaniard living in the center of Marrakech, explained to EFE that during the earthquake "the ground began to move as if during a bombing." "She thought the building was falling, now everyone is on the street in their pajamas," she added.
Minutes after the earthquake, from the street, Catalá indicated that, due to the shaking, all the residents of her building came out and that railings and other objects fell from the balconies, but she added that she did not see any buildings around her with significant damage.
Said, a resident of Casablanca, confirmed to EFE that he felt the earthquake. "It wasn't very strong, but it lasted 15 seconds without stopping. I immediately called my family in Marrakech and it was strong there, even my sister-in-law fainted from shock," he explained by phone.
Although no official balance of material or human damage was announced, Internet users shared photos and videos of houses damaged or partially demolished in the old quarter of Marrakech, allegedly due to the earthquake.
Emergencies 112 Andalusia has coordinated more than twenty calls from different Andalusian municipalities that have reported that they had felt a seismic movement, which the National Geographic Institute (IGN) has attributed to the 6.8 earthquake registered this midnight in Morocco.
At 00:14 hours the coordination center has managed the first of more than 20 calls from locations in Huelva, Seville, Jaén, Córdoba and Málaga. Specifically, the notices have been received from the municipalities of Huelva, Punta Umbría, Lepe, Isla Cristina, Almonte, Bollullos par del Condado, Sevilla, Dos Hermanas, Camas, Jaén, Málaga, Marbella, Córdoba and Lucena. with no evidence of personal or material damage.
Users of the official Emergency 112 Andalusia accounts have indicated that the tremor has also been felt in points on the Andalusian coast, 112 reports in a statement.
For its part, the Seismic Network of the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute (Involcan), recorded last night the earthquake that occurred in Morocco and has pointed out that it was "slightly felt" in the Canary Islands as a "mild" earthquake.
As reported by the IGN, the magnitude of the earthquake recorded at 00:11 hours was 6.8 and occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, and caused the death of at least 296 people and another 153 were injured in different places. Moroccan towns.
As reported by the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior in a note, until 2:00 local time (GMT 1) deaths were recorded in the provinces and prefectures of Al Haouz, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant.
