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Powerful 7.0 Earthquake Strikes Morocco, Killing at Least 296 and Injuring 153
Saturday 9 September 2023, by
The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior has published a provisional toll of 296 deaths and 153 injured following an earthquake of magnitude 7 on the Richter scale that hit a large part of the country on Friday evening.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located in the commune of Ighil, in the province of Al Haouz, and the tremor was felt well beyond Morocco’s borders, reaching countries like Spain, Portugal and even Mauritania. An aftershock of magnitude 4.8 was also recorded near Casablanca, just 20 minutes after the first shock.
Significant material damage has been reported in several regions, particularly in the provinces of Al Haouz, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua, Taroudant or Tinghir. Emergency services, including local authorities and civil protection, are fully mobilized to assess the extent of the damage and provide assistance to the victims. Thousands of people were also seen in the streets of major cities such as Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech.
The Ministry of the Interior has called on the population to remain calm and not to give in to panic. No further information on possible victims has been communicated at this stage. The national seismic and geophysical monitoring network continues to monitor the situation, as other less significant aftershocks have been recorded in Taroudant and Marrakech.