Disasters & Accidents

Over 1,000 killed after massive earthquake strikes Morocco

(Update: upgrades casualties)

Amizmiz, Morocco, Sep 9 (EFE).- Over 1,000 people have died and more than 1,200 were injured after a massive magnitude-7 earthquake struck western Morocco, officials said Saturday.

The Moroccan interior ministry’s latest toll says at least 1,037 people have been killed by the quake, which struck at a depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles) shortly after 11pm Friday night.

The epicenter was about 80 km southwest of the city of Marrakech.

Of the 1,204 injured, 721 were in a serious condition.

Most of the deaths have so far been recorded in Al Haouz province, where at least 540 people have died, which borders Marrakech to the south. Over 320 people were killed in the city of Taroudant.

The interior ministry has asked people to remain calm, and said that security and civil protection forces from all the affected regions were being mobilized for rescue and relief efforts.

Several buildings in the old center of Marrakech, known as the Medina, were severely damaged.

Eye witnesses EFE spoke to said the earthquake was also felt in the northern towns such as Larache, 550 kilometers from the epicenter, as well as in Casablanca and Rabat, 300 and 370 kilometers away, respectively.

The international community, including the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union, France, Israel and Turkey, have sent their condolences and pledged their assistance to help Morocco recover from the disaster. EFE

mt/sc-ks

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