Similar to earlier earthquakes, the number of casualties in Morocco seems to be increasing as the extent in remote and difficult-to-reach locations becomes more apparent.
The earthquake that struck late on Friday night killed hundreds of people and destroyed structures in Marrakesh’s ancient city as well as towns in the Atlas Mountains.
At least 296 fatalities had been reported earlier on Saturday, according to Morocco’s interior ministry. Many people remained outside out of fear for aftershocks, and Moroccan television broadcast footage from the aftermath. Families in a state of anxiety stood in the streets or gathered on the pavement, some with children, blankets, or other items in their arms.
Emergency workers looked for survivors in the rubble of buildings, their reflective yellow vests illuminating the night-time landscape.Baskets, buckets and clothing could be seen amid scattered stones in the remains of one building.
Moroccan media reported that the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh, one of the city’s most famed landmarks, suffered damage, but the extent was not immediately clear. Local people also posted videos showing damage to parts of the famous red walls that surround the city, a Unesco World Heritage site.
The head of a town near the earthquake’s epicentre told Moroccan news site 2M that several homes in nearby towns had partly or totally collapsed, and electricity and roads were cut off in some places.
