Death toll exceeds 1,000 from Morocco earthquake

The death toll from an earthquake that struck Morocco late Friday surpassed 1,000 on Saturday as rescue workers continued to comb through the rubble, the country’s interior ministry said.

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake, the strongest to hit the area in 123 years, left at least 1,200 people were injured, the government said. Officials warned the death toll was expected to rise.

The quake struck about 11:11 p.m. local time (11:11 p.m. Nigerian time) in the province of Al Haouz and was felt in Marrakesh, Casablanca, Rabat, Fez and other cities. Al Haouz is about 43 miles south of Marrakesh, a UNESCO World Heritage site, according to local media.

Homes and buildings collapsed or were damaged.

“I still can’t sleep in the house because of the shock and also because the old town is made up of old houses. If one falls, it will cause others to collapse,” Jaouhari Mohamed, a resident of Marrakech’s old city told Reuters.

Yasmina Bennani, a journalist living in a town near the quake’s epicenter, told the New York Times that she felt terrorized. “It didn’t last long but felt like years.”

Offers of support

Several governments and the United Nations offered their support to Morocco.

President Biden of the United States said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco.”

He added that his administration is in contact with Moroccan officials and is working to ensure the safety of American citizens in Morocco. He also said that the United States is “ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country is “ready to provide all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media that “we are all shocked after the terrible earthquake in Morocco.” He said that France “stands ready to help first aid responses.”

President Bola Tinubu expressed his condolences to King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

“In the face of this adversity, Nigeria will continue to stand in solidarity with Morocco as they recover, rebuild and come out stronger than ever from this unfortunate event,” he said.

Morocco is located in a seismically active region. The deadliest in Morocco’s recent history was a magnitude 5.8 quake in 1960 that struck near the city of Agadir and killed about 12,000 people.