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More than 2,000 people have been killed so far after a deadly and rare earthquake of mangnitude 6.8 jolted the city of Marrakech in Morocco late in the evening on Friday. The final life loss is not clear yet, and the death toll is likely to go up as the extent of the damage done by the earthquake becomes clear.
The earthquake has damaged buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. The earthquake in Morocco is rare in terms of casualties it has caused, besides the infrastructural damage it has done.
The head of the town, Talat N'Yaaqoub told a local news platform that several homes in the towns in the Al Haouz region had partly or totally collapsed. Electricity supply and road infrastructure were also damaged in some places, N'Yaaqoub said.
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UNESCO World Heritage Site damaged
According to a PTI report, the famous red walls, a UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounding Marrakech's old city were also damaged. Citizens posted videos showing buildings reduced to debris.
The magnitude of the earthquake
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said that the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it first hit at 11:11 PM (2211 GMT). The tremors could be felt for several seconds. The magnitude of the aftershock was registered at 4.9, which hit 19 minutes later, the US agency said.
While the USGS said that the earthquake's epicentre was 18 kilometres below the Earth's surface, the Moroccan seismic agency said it was 8 kilometres below the surface, the PTI report said.
Earthquakes closer to the surface are known to cause more damage in general.
The epicentre was high in the Atlas Mountains, around 70 kilometres from Marrakech.
Earthquakes in Morocco
Earthquakes are relatively rare in North Africa. The head of the Seismic Monitoring and Warning Department at the National Institute of Geophysics said the earthquake was "exceptional".
He said that mountainous regions in general, do not produce such deadly earthquakes. "It is the strongest earthquake recorded in the region," he added.
Morocco and its location on the world map
Part of North Africa, Morocco is officially known as the Kingdom of Morocco. It is part of the "Maghreb" region which refers to the western part of the Arab world. Notably, Mashriq, the opposite of Maghreb, refers to the eastern part of the Arab world.
Morocco borders the Mediterranean Sea on its Northern border and the Atlantic Ocean on its West. Its capital is Rabat. Morocco is also home to the famous city of Casablanca, which is a global financial hub.
Other deadly earthquakes in the recent past
February, 2023: Turkey and Syria
Four devastating earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria in February 2023, claiming more than 50,000 lives, and leaving thousands injured, while also doing incalculable financial damage to the countries.
The first earthquake hit Nudagi in Gaziantep province near the Syrian border in Turkey at 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale. This was followed by two more 7.5 and 6 magnitude quakes in Kahramanmaras province. The fourth quake was 5.6 magnitude at struck central Turkey.
The Turkey and Syria earthquakes are among the deadliest earthquakes in recorded history.
April 2015: Nepal
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing more than 8,800 people. It was the country's worst earthquake since 1934 and destroyed 98 per cent of all homes in the hillside villages. It also destroyed historical monuments in Bhaktapur.
Japan earthquake in March 2011
The Great Tohoku Earthquake, also known as Great Sendai Earthquake occurred in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. It began with a powerful earthquake near Honshu island and caused widespread damage by way of inducing a series of large tsunami waves that devasted the coastal areas of the country. The Tohoku region was hit most severely.
It also triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear reactor.
October 8, 2005: Pakistan Occupied Kashmir
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake killed over 80,000 people in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the North-West Frontier Province. Casualties were reported in India and Afghanistan as well.
