September 09, 2023, 04:27 PM
At least 632 people have been killed after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit central Morocco.
The Guardian reported that the epicentre of the quake was in Ighil — a mountainous area about 70km southwest of the major city of Marrakesh.
It struck at 11:11pm followed 19 minutes later by a 4.9 magnitude aftershock, reported the BBC.
Apart from the deaths, a further 329 people were injured, with 51 in critical condition.
Most of the deaths and damage to structures were in the mountainous regions closer to the epicentre, said a local official.
However, according to The Guardian, residents of Marrakesh said that buildings in the old city —a Unesco world heritage site — had collapsed.
Buildings collapsing
Videos on social media appeared to show buildings swaying and crumbling.
🇲🇦 | URGENTE - SISMO EN MARRUECOS: El momento en que un edificio se derrumbó por completo tras el terremoto que azotó Marrakesh en Marruecos hace poco.
— Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) September 9, 2023
pic.twitter.com/xXd6MTVfDv
Other images and footage showed rubble-filled streets and structures with large cracks in them.
Vidéos de quelques dégats à Marrakech suite au séisme pic.twitter.com/UORW4vQpY8
— Omar H. 🇲🇦 🇵🇸 (@Omar_H_) September 8, 2023
"I thought my bed was going to fly away," said one resident in Marrakesh, to the AFP.
"I went out into the street half-naked and immediately went to see my riads (a traditional Moroccan house). It was total chaos, a real catastrophe, madness."
Closer to the epicentre, in the town of Al-Haouz, local media have reported that a family is trapped under the rubble of their house.
Top image from social media
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