Over 1,000 dead as powerful earthquake strikes Morocco, PM Modi offers assistance

The earthquake is Morocco's deadliest since a 2004 tremor near Al Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains that claimed over 600 lives

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: September 9, 2023 10:35 PM IST

3 min read

A man looks at damage in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco. (Reuters)

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At least 1,037 people have died and another 1,204 injured after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco’s High Atlas mountain late Friday night, destroying buildings and sending people fleeing from their homes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered “all possible assistance” to Morocco, in a tweet on Saturday morning. “Extremely pained by the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the people of Morocco. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. India is ready to offer all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi expressed condolences over the loss of lives in Morocco during his inaugural address at the G20 summit underway in New Delhi as well.

The Interior Ministry said 1,037 people had been killed and another 672 injured by the quake, gauged by the U.S. Geological Survey at a magnitude of 6.8 with an epicentre some 72 km (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech.

The quake was recorded at a depth of 18.5 km, typically more destructive than deeper quakes of the same magnitude. It was Morocco’s deadliest earthquake since 1960 when a quake was estimated to have killed at least 12,000 people, according to the US Geological Survey.

The US agency also reported a magnitude 4.9 aftershock hit 19 minutes later, according to news agency AP.

Friday’s earthquake is the deadliest in Morocco in 19 years, according to news agency Reuters. In 2004, an earthquake near Al Hoceima in the northern Rif mountains claimed over 600 lives.

A view shows damage at an old mosque in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco. (Reuters)

Lahcen Mhanni, Head of the Seismic Monitoring and Warning Department at the National Institute of Geophysics, quoted by AP, stated that the earthquake was “exceptional.” “Mountainous regions in general do not produce earthquakes of this size… It is the strongest earthquake recorded in the region,” he said.

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Morocco’s Interior Ministry stated that the tremor had hit the provinces of Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Marrakech, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudan. Some buildings collapsed in Marrakech, the nearest big city to the epicentre, according to Reuters. A UNESCO World Heritage site, a mosque minaret had fallen in Jemaa al-Fna Square.

The epicenter was high in the Atlas Mountains, which is around 70 km south of Marrakech and near Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak, AP reported.

— with agencies’ inputs

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