At least 632 people died and another 329 were injured, 51 of them seriously, in different Moroccan localities due to the magnitude 7 earthquake that occurred on Friday night with its epicenter 60 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech, at 7, 00 local time.
In a statement, the Ministry of the Interior indicates that 290 people died in the province of Al Haouz, – south of Marrakech and close to the epicenter -, another 190 in Taroudant, 89 more in Chichaoua, 30 in Ouarzazate, 13 in Marrakech, 11 in Azilal, 5 in Agadir, 3 in Casablanca and 1 in Al Youssoufia.
The injured, of varying severity, were transferred to hospital centers, indicates the ministry, which adds that there was also material damage in uninhabited areas. According to the Interior, which calls on citizens to remain calm, security and civil protection forces from all affected prefectures and provinces have been mobilized, as well as the necessary means to intervene and assess the damage.
On social media, Moroccans have shared numerous photos and videos showing damaged and fallen buildings, some with people injured or apparently dead in the rubble. Several buildings in the medina (old city) of Marrakech were damaged by the earthquake.
According to a seismic alert bulletin released by the Moroccan National Institute of Geophysics, the earthquake, of magnitude 7, shook the northern Moroccan region of Marrakech and occurred at 11:11 p.m. local time (00:11 GMT Saturday) 8 kilometers away. deep. It had its epicenter in the town of Ighil, located 63 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakech.
Neighbors of Marrakech explained the fear experienced during the tremor, which lasted several minutes and left buildings and mosques in the medina (old city) damaged. Khalid, a resident of the medina, indicated that the minaret of the Bab Ailan mosque fell to the ground due to the tremor and the entrance to the temple was also damaged.
Another resident of Marrakech explained that after the earthquake the mythical square of Jma El Fnaa was filled with people to protect themselves from possible aftershocks and that the authorities did not allow citizens to walk through the narrow streets of the ancient city.
Witnesses contacted by EFE indicated that the earthquake was felt in northern towns such as Larache, 550 kilometers from the epicenter, as well as in Casablanca and Rabat, 300 and 370 kilometers away, respectively, where their inhabitants took to the streets to prevent aftershocks.
Emergencies 112 Andalusia has coordinated more than twenty calls from different Andalusian municipalities that have reported that they had felt a seismic movement, which the National Geographic Institute (IGN) has attributed to the earthquake registered this midnight in Morocco. At 12:14 a.m., the first of more than 20 calls from towns in Huelva, Seville, Jaén, Córdoba and Málaga was processed. Specifically, the notices have been received from the municipalities of Huelva, Punta Umbría, Lepe, Isla Cristina, Almonte, Bollullos par del Condado, Sevilla, Dos Hermanas, Camas, Jaén, Málaga, Marbella, Córdoba and Lucena. with no evidence of personal or material damage.
For its part, the Spanish Government this Saturday expressed the country’s solidarity and its condolences with Morocco after the earthquake that caused the death of at least almost 300 people. It was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that expressed this solidarity with Morocco and with the victims on behalf of Spain in a message on X (formerly Twitter). On the same social network, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who is at the G20 summit in New Delhi, has ratified that solidarity. “Our thoughts are with the victims and loved ones of this terrible earthquake. All our solidarity with Morocco and its people,” Albares wrote.