Powerful earthquake hits Morocco, killing hundreds and damaging historic buildings

RABAT, Morocco — A powerful earthquake It struck Morocco on Friday night, killing hundreds of people and damaging historic buildings and monuments in major cities.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry said Saturday morning that at least 296 people had died in provinces near the earthquake. Additionally, 153 injured people were sent to hospitals for treatment. The ministry wrote that most of the damage occurred outside cities and towns.

Moroccans posted videos showing buildings reduced to rubble and dust, and parts of the famous red walls surrounding the ancient city of Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, damaged. Tourists and others posted videos of people screaming and evacuating restaurants in the city as throbbing club music played.

Reports on damage and casualties are often slow to filter in after many earthquakes, particularly those that occur in the middle of the night.

Instead of returning to the concrete buildings, men, women and children remained in the streets, worried about aftershocks and other reverberations that could cause their homes to sway.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it struck at 11:11 p.m. (2211 GMT), with shaking lasting several seconds. Morocco’s National Seismic Surveillance and Warning Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale. The US agency reported an aftershock of magnitude 4.9 19 minutes later.

Variations in early measurements are common, although either reading would be Morocco’s strongest in years. Although earthquakes are relatively rare in North Africa, a magnitude 5.8 tremor occurred near Agadir and caused thousands of deaths in 1960.

The epicenter of Friday’s tremor was high in the Atlas Mountains, about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) south of Marrakesh. It was also close to Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, and Oukaimeden, a popular Moroccan ski resort.

The USGS said the epicenter was 18 kilometers (11 miles) below the Earth’s surface, while Morocco’s seismic agency put it 8 kilometers (5 miles) deep.

Beyond reports on the magnitude of the earthquake, neither Moroccan officials nor MAP, Morocco’s official news agency, had published any information on casualties or damage as of early Saturday morning. Government officials often use the agency to communicate information about important matters.

The earthquake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere and Algeria’s Civil Defense agency, which is overseeing the emergency response.