A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck Central Morocco late on Friday, Killing over 600 people, injuring over 300, and damaging buildings in the historic city of Marrakech.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, offered his condolences for the earthquake-related fatalities and expressed his sorrow. Taking to social media platform X, he wrote: “Extremely pained by the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the people of Morocco. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. India is ready to offer all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time.”
Extremely pained by the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the people of Morocco. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. India is ready to offer all possible assistance to…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2023
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) says it’s the strongest tremor to hit that part of the North African nation in more than a century. Morocco’s Interior Ministry said early Saturday that at least 632 people were killed, and 329 others were wounded, including 51 in critical condition.
“Earthquakes of this size in the region are uncommon, but not unexpected. Since 1900, there have been no earthquakes M6 (magnitude 6) and larger within 500 km of this earthquake, and only 9 M5 (magnitude 5) and larger earthquakes,” USGS said.
Many spent the night on the streets in multiple cities fearful of aftershocks as a desperate mission to locate those trapped in the rubble got underway. Health authorities have also called on people to donate blood to help victims.
Most deaths occurred in mountain areas close to the epicentre that were hard to reach, authorities said, and rescue teams were having difficulty reaching the worst affected areas after roads were damaged, state-run TV Al Aoula reported.
The earthquake’s effects were felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria, as reported by the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere and Algeria’s Civil Defence agency, responsible for emergency response.
Meanwhile, the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces has warned that residents to pay close attention to follow-up tremors.
