Earthquake Kills Over 296 People in Morocco

At least 296 people were killed in a powerful earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday night.

This major earthquake reduced buildings to rubbles and also damaged parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city in historic Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it hit at 11.11 pm. The shaking lasted several seconds. Morocco’s National Seismic Monitoring and Alert Network measured it at 7 on the Richter scale. There was a magnitude 4.9 aftershock that hit 19 minutes later.

The epicentre of Friday’s earthquake was in the Atlas Mountains roughly 70 kilometres south of Marrakech. The USGS said the epicentre was 18 kilometres below the earth’s surface, while Morocco’s seismic agency put it at 8 kilometres down.

The quake was felt as far away as Portugal and Algeria.