Morocco Earthquake: 632 Killed, 329 Injured, Several Buildings Collapsed in African Nation

Morocco Earthquake: 632 Killed, 329 Injured, Several Buildings Collapsed in African Nation

  • A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Marrakesh, Morocco, resulting in at least 632 reported deaths, with many victims in remote areas
  • The earthquake's epicentre was located in the High Atlas Mountains, southwest of Marrakesh
  • In addition to the fatalities, at least 329 people were injured, and some buildings, including those in the old city, collapsed

Marrakesh, Morocco - At least 632 people have been reported dead following the strong earthquake of magnitude 6.8 that struck Morocco.

A report by BBC indicates that the epicentre of the tragic incident was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) southwest of Marrakesh.

Morocco earthquake/Marrakesh
A powerful earthquake that shook Morocco late September 8 killed more than 600 people. Photo credit: FADEL SENNA/AFP
Source: Getty Images

Legit.ng gathers that the North African country's interior ministry confirmed that people died in Marrakesh and several other neighbouring areas.

Many of the victims are believed to be in remote areas.

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Morocco earthquake: 329 people injured, buildings collapsed

The interior ministry also confirmed that at least 329 people have been injured.

It listed al-Haouz, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant provinces and municipalities as the areas affected.

Some buildings in the old city have collapsed, according to an unnamed resident.

Several clips on X (formerly Twitter) also show buildings crashing down.

Morocco earthquake: Residents react, flee homes

Many residents have reportedly stayed outside their homes, fearing that the danger may not be over and other buildings may still collapse.

A resident cited by BBC said he felt a "violent tremor" and saw "buildings moving".

"People were all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught," Abdelhak El Amrani was quoted as saying.

Morocco earthquake: International community reacts

The quake in Morocco has attracted reactions from the international community.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted to the incident while speaking at the G20 summit in Delhi.

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He assured that the international community would come to Morocco's aid.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron also offered to support the troubled African nation.

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu is also attending the G20 Summit, but he's yet to react at the time of filing this piece.

Earthquake sends tremors through Turkey's fragile economy

Meanwhile, a previous report by Legit.ng highlighted how a recent earthquake in Turkey affected the country's economy.

Turkey was already battling runaway inflation and relying on rich allies for funding to keep its economy afloat when a massive earthquake killed tens of thousands, razed entire cities and left millions needing urgent help.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Nurudeen Lawal avatar

Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.