A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hitThe 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.“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.
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. 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.
Morocco experiences frequent earthquakes in its northern region due to its position between the African and Eurasian plates.