Morocco earthquake leaves panicked people sleeping in street – reports

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco late on Friday, according to the US Geological Survey.

The strong quake hit 71km south-west of Marrakech at a depth of 18.5km just after 11pm. At least five people were killed, according to initial reporting by al-Arabiya TV, although the figure was not separately verified.

The earthquake was also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira.

“There’s not too much damage, more panic. We heard screams at the time of the tremor,” a resident of Essaouira, 200km west of Marrakech, said by telephone. Reports said people fled their homes in panic.

“People are in the squares, in the cafes, preferring to sleep outside. Pieces of facades have fallen.”

In Marrakech, some houses in the tightly packed old city collapsed and people were working by hand to remove debris while they waited for heavy equipment, said local resident Id Waaziz Hassan.

Another Marrakech resident, Brahim Himmi, said he saw ambulances coming out of the old town and that many building facades were damaged. He said people were frightened and staying outside in case of another quake.

The US Geological Survey’s early assessment system known as Pager estimated significant damage was likely and casualties possible. “The population in this region lives in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking,” the USGS said.

Internet connectivity was disrupted in Marrakech due to power cuts in the region, according to global internet monitor NetBlocks.

Morocco experiences frequent earthquakes in its northern region due to its position between the African and Eurasian plates.

In 2004 at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured when a quake hit al-Hoceima in north-eastern Morocco.

In 1980, the 7.3-magnitude El Asnam earthquake in neighbouring Algeria killed 2,500 people and left at least 300,000 homeless.

With Reuters